Break Down My Walls
by crazykelly101
Summary: Nathan Scott is Duke's star basketball player, and a player in every sense of the word. Haley James becomes his tutor. Can it be something more, though? The walls around Haley's heart are built high, and she has more than just herself to think about. She has a 1 year old daughter named Emma. Follow Nathan and Haley as they navigate college, relationships, and a baby.
1. Chapter 1

"Nathan, can I see you in my office please?" Coach K said firmly, as the rest of the team headed to the locker room after practice.

"What's up Coach?" Nathan asked, as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

As the two sat down, Nathan still wasn't sure why he had been called into the coach's office.

"Nathan, it's come to my attention that you've received quite the reputation on campus," Coach K said, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms.

"I like to have a good time, Coach, is that a crime?" Nathan shrugged.

"No, but failing your classes could be," Coach K replied.

"No worries," Nathan sighed, "I'm keeping my 2.0 Coach."

"That's the thing," Coach stated, "The NCAA has changed the eligibility requirements for players. They now require a 2.3 GPA to be eligible for college sports."

Nathan's eyes widened. Sure, he had the 2.0, but he'd barely been able to make that. He'd had to sleep with two of his TA's just to pass with C's. He wasn't stupid, he just preferred to spend his time partying than going to class every day.

"All the other players are good to go, except you," Coach K continued, "Now, I've been able to negotiate a two-week grace period for you to get your grades up. Our first game of the season is in three weeks. If you don't have your grades up by then, you're benched. Do you understand?"

"Yes, coach, I'll do whatever I can," Nathan assured him.

"I've taken the liberty of signing you up for campus tutoring," the coach said, "You'll be meeting with, um, James, tomorrow after your last class. The session will get done fifteen minutes before practice begins. Don't be late. I'm giving you a huge opportunity here, Nathan."

* * *

The next day, Nathan walked sleepily into the Tutoring Center on campus. He wasn't used to going to all four hours of his classes, and had fallen asleep a few times. Now, he had to come meet with some awkward nerd named James for the next two weeks.

He'd never stepped foot in this building, and from the looks of all the empty tables, not many people did. A girl with honey blonde hair and glasses was the only person in the building, crouched over a large textbook, a pencil tucked behind her ear.

He approached her, his signature swagger in his walk. He did not have to try hard to get girls. All the girls on campus worshipped the ground he walked on, and were practically ripping their clothes off at first glance of him.

"Excuse me," he said, getting her attention, "I'm supposed to be meeting with James. Do you know where I can find him?"

Her eyes narrowed, "You're Nathan Scott."

"So you've heard of me?" Nathan smirked.

"Of course," she replied, "You're on the top of my list."

"Trust me, I'm on the top of everyone's list babe," Nathan smiled.

The girl dropped her eyes back to her textbook, sighing, "You must have a lot of tutors then."

Nathan's face took on a confused look, as he opened his mouth to try and say something, but nothing would come out.

"My name is Haley James. The university assigned me to tutor you. They've reassigned my other students and are paying me double to do this," she elaborated, "And we don't have much time, so I suggest you take a seat."

* * *

The two sat in silence thirty minutes later. Haley had given Nathan some math problems to do, to see what areas he needed help in. She felt like she could see the wheels turning in his head as he furiously scribbled on the paper, then erased what he'd just written as an answer and changed it.

"Alright, time's up," Haley said, "Let's see how you did."

As she looked over the paper, she was surprised. The work that he'd shown for these math problems was on the right track, but she could see where he'd gotten lost. She had helped students with the same problems before, and thankfully, it hadn't taken too long.

"You've got a good foundation," Haley nodded slightly, "Looks like you've at least gone to a few classes."

"I'm not just a pretty face," Nathan smirked, before his look turned to a serious one, "Hey, I'm sorry, about before, when I thought you were a guy?"

"Whatever, I have a short memory," Haley said, trying to hide the small smile that had appeared on her face as she looked down at her textbook.

"That's the first time you've smiled this whole hour," Nathan pointed out, "You should smile more. You're prettier when you smile."

She looked up, and her brown eyes locked with his icy blues. They held each other's gaze for what seemed like hours, before Haley finally snapped out of it.

"And that's enough for one day," Haley quickly said, "I have classes tomorrow afternoon, would you be able to meet in the morning, let's say 9?"

"Uh, yeah I guess I could do that," Nathan replied, "I can bring breakfast."

"Just don't be late, alright?" Haley said, before checking her watch, "Ugh, I'm sorry to cut this short, there's somewhere I have to be."

"What, do you have a hot date or something?" Nathan called out as Haley headed for the door.

She turned, facing him, "Something like that."

As she made it to her car and began the five minute drive to her off-campus apartment, Haley couldn't shake that feeling that she'd had when they'd locked eyes, after he'd said she was pretty. In that moment, it had been like a thousand butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach. But this was Nathan Scott, Duke's resident playboy, used to getting whatever he wanted, any conquest. She was his tutor, and that was all.

* * *

Haley set her backpack down on the kitchen counter as she entered the apartment, smiling at the view she saw in the living room.

"Hey, how did everything go?" she asked her best friend and roommate, Brooke.

"Perfect angel as always Hales," Brooke smiled, as she sat on the floor of the living room, playing with blocks with Emma.

"Sorry, I just worry. She can be a handful sometimes," Haley sighed, as she sat on the couch, pulling Emma up to sit in her lap, "Mama worries too much doesn't she Em?"

"How did tutoring go?" Brooke asked, as she sketched a new design in her sketchbook.

"I didn't tell you who it was before because I knew you would freak out," Haley began, as Emma played with her necklace, "But the new student they assigned me to? The one who's my sole focus? It's Nathan Scott."

Brooke's eyes bugged out, "What? Ugh, why didn't I apply to be a tutor?"

"Brooke, he's a pig, remember?" Haley reminded her best friend, "He's probably slept with half the girls at the school, and anytime you see a picture of him on Instagram, he's completely wasted."

"Right, a pig, anyway, how did it go?" Brooke continued.

"Let's see, he thought I was a dude, then he stonewalled me for about twenty minutes, and it turns out, he's not entirely stupid," Haley explained, "And to top it all off, he told me I was pretty, can you believe that?"

"Uh, yeah Tutor Mom," Brooke smiled, "You're definitely a MILF."

"Not the point Brooke," Haley retorted, "He's just trying to butter me up, so I'll give him the answers or do his work for him. I've seen it before."

"Saying that you're pretty isn't a crime Hales, so don't condemn the guy," Brooke insisted, "Besides, you haven't been on a date since Emma was born. Don't you think you should get back out there? This is college, you're supposed to go out and have fun."

"I have a one year old daughter Brooke," Haley reminded her, "Which means I can't just drop everything to go to the next football game."

Brooke hesitated before correcting her, "It's actually basketball season, Hales."

"Whatever!" Haley exclaimed, as Emma cuddled up against her, resting her head against her mother's chest.

"Mama!" Emma smiled.

Haley stroked her light brown hair, "My job is to get Nathan to pass his classes. Two weeks, that's all I signed on for. Once the time's up, my life goes back to normal."

* * *

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Oh, that's Lucas!" Brooke said, "Can you get that? I'm just going to go grab my purse."

Haley opened the apartment door to let her other best friend in, Emma immediately reaching out for him, "Ooh, Ooh."

"Hey pretty girl," Lucas smiled, taking the baby into his arms, "How's my favorite girl doing?"

"I hope you mean your second favorite girl," Brooke said as she walked back into the room.

"Close second," Lucas smiled, kissing Brooke on the cheek, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Brooke said, before turning back to Haley, "Are you sure you and Ems don't want to come with us?"

Haley reached out and took Emma back into her arms, "No, you two deserve some alone time. I'm always your third wheel and I'm sure you're getting sick of me."

"We could never get sick of you Hales," Lucas smiled, hugging her before taking Brooke's hand and leaving the apartment.

"Well, it looks like it's just me and you baby girl," Haley smiled, turning on some music and dancing with Emma around the kitchen.

* * *

The next morning, Haley sat in the tutor center, alone. She checked her watch again, 9:20 am. She knew agreeing to tutor Nathan Scott was a mistake. He obviously didn't even care enough to get here on time, let alone pass his classes. She began to pack up her stuff, when he came strolling in, carrying two cups of coffee in his hands.

"Where have you been?" Haley questioned, narrowing her eyes at him, "I've been waiting for almost a half hour."

"I'm sorry, the line at the coffee cart was long," Nathan apologized, "I would've texted you, but I don't have your number."

Haley sighed, her eyes still glaring at him as he handed her a coffee.

"Breakfast of champions," he smiled, as he pulled his math book and a box of Cracker Jacks out of his backpack.

He opened the box, retrieving the prize pack from inside. As he began to open it he said, "Please let this be a cheat sheet."

Tearing open the prize, he revealed it to be a multicolored rainbow beaded bracelet. Nathan looked at it, and then up at Haley, who was looking rather unamused, "It's for you."

"Stop it," Haley protested.

"Come on," Nathan continued, slipping the bracelet over Haley's wrist, "Don't say I never gave you anything."

He had his signature smirk on his face, which got Haley even more upset than she was before. She picked up his math book, opening it to the chapter they were on, turning it to face him, "Do you see this book? This book is me, I am math."

Nathan looked confused, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Haley sighed, "It's supposed to mean that you can work your whole 'I'm Nathan Scott, Mr. Big Shot, scoring my touchdowns' on someone else, because I don't…"

"I don't even play football," Nathan corrected her.

"Whatever, look the point is that all of your bluster and BS don't mean anything to math, because math don't care, and neither do I," Haley retorted.

"Does English care?" Nathan questioned, "Because I really suck at that too."

"Please don't waste my time here, Nathan," Haley insisted, "I really need the money and I'm already taking a huge chance on you, because my instincts are screaming at me that you're full of shi.."

Nathan laughed, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows at her, enjoying the show that was unfolding.

Haley looked at him, before shaking her head, "Look, let's just get started, alright? Page 81."

* * *

"Dude, are you alright?" Skills asked Nathan later that day at practice, "You seem tired. Late night?"

"More like early morning," Nathan sighed, shooting another free throw as it swished through the net.

"Oh, I likes me some of that," Skills smiled, "Tell me all about it dawg."

"Nah, trust me man, it wasn't anything exciting," Nathan shook his head, "I just had a tutoring session this morning."

"Damn, man you're lucky," Skills said, "You've got a fine little honey doing your work for you."

"I wish it was that easy," Nathan replied, "Haley's not like that. She doesn't care about who I am. She's actually making me work."

Skills looked confused, "Was she born under a rock or is she just blind? Dude, you're the most popular guy at this school. Girls come up with any excuse possible to talk to you. And you're telling me she hasn't tried anything?"

"No, man, she's different," Nathan sighed, resting the basketball on his hip.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you got a little thing for this girl," Skills slyly said, "Your loss, cuz I was going to invite you to this Phi Gamma Delta party tonight. Gonna be tons of fine ladies."

Nathan shook his head, taking another shot and making it, "She's just my tutor, Skills. Count me in on that party."

* * *

"Miss James, a moment please?" Professor Whitmore asked, as Haley was finishing up her homework in the tutor center.

She found it easier to finish her work there after a tutoring session, so when she got home, she could focus solely on Emma.

"Is there a problem, Professor?" Haley asked.

"I just wanted to see how it was going with Nathan," she questioned, "You've had two sessions now. What do you think?"

Haley sighed, "Um, honestly Professor, I've seen worse cases. The potential is there, he just has to focus."

"Well, if he wants to make it to the NBA, he's got to keep his eligibility," Professor Whitmore pointed out, "The University appreciates you for your efforts, Haley. When the Athletic Director and the coach came to me and asked about tutors, I immediately gave them your name. I thought that with the raise and less hours, it would help with Emma. How is the little darling?"

"Growing like a weed," Haley smiled, quickly taking out her phone, to show a photo she'd taken of Emma the other night, "She just started walking and she's starting to talk more too."

"I admire you, Haley," Professor Whitmore smiled, "You're a 4.0 student, a tutor, and a mother, and you're able to balance all of it so well. You should be proud."

"Thank you, for giving me the opportunity Professor," Haley smiled, "I really do appreciate it. I was going to have to start waitressing before this, so…thank you. I don't know how I would have managed two jobs, school, and Emma."

"Are you still planning on graduating early?" she asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"If all goes well, I should graduate at the end of next semester, yeah," Haley replied, "And then I'll start my student teaching."

"You'll be a great teacher, Haley," Professor Whitmore said, "You already are."

* * *

 _ **So I know my other story, Show Me How to Live, is currently on hiatus. I just lost inspiration for it, but don't worry! I'm not done writing it! I will try to have another chapter of that up ASAP! But the idea for this story came to me, and I loved having the feeling of being inspired and writing and creating again!**_

 _ **Please review and let me know what you think of this story and tell me what you'd like to see happen!**_


	2. Chapter 2

****DISCLAIMER: In this story, Nathan and Lucas are NOT brothers. It just didn't make sense with what I'd thought up. So, for the purpose of this story, Lucas is the son of Keith and Karen Roe.****

* * *

Haley sat in the tutoring center, waiting for Nathan to show up for their fifth tutoring session. The past few sessions, they'd had a little bit more small talk interweaved between the math and English, but it was still just that: small talk. They hadn't really had a real conversation yet.

She was swiping through photos of Emma that she'd taken that morning. She'd given her toast and blueberries for breakfast, and as a result, her face had been completely covered in mashed blueberries, which made for some adorable pictures. As she continued to look at the pictures of her daughter, her eyes drifted to the bracelet that adorned her wrist. Once she'd gone home with it on, Emma had become obsessed with it, babbling on and on about it. Emma'd forced her to put it on this morning, and she hadn't thought to take it off before her class.

"Nice bracelet," Nathan said, as he approached their table, smirking.

Haley quickly closed the photos of Emma, setting her phone down on the table, "Can we just get to work, Scott? We've got a lot to do before your test tomorrow."

"I'll just be glad when this test is over," Nathan sighed, resting his head in his hands, "In fact, me and some guys from the team are going to this party to celebrate."

"Nathan, you don't even know if you're going to pass or not yet," Haley pointed out, giving him a knowing look.

"You're my tutor Hales, I'm pretty sure I'm going to pass," Nathan smiled.

Haley smiled at the use of that nickname. The only people who'd ever called her that before were Brooke and Lucas, but Nathan had started using it recently, and she hadn't corrected him.

"Positive thinking always helps," Haley agreed, "But I'm not sure you should celebrate passing a math test by getting drunk and making questionable decisions."

"Well then, maybe you should come, just to make sure I don't do anything stupid?" Nathan suggested, looking at her.

"I don't know, parties aren't really my thing," Haley stammered, opening the math textbook, "I made a study guide for you, with some sample test questions that should be pretty close to what'll be on your test."

"You're changing the subject," Nathan said, "Come on Haley, everyone needs to get out once in a while. You can't just stay holed up in the tutor center with your nose buried in a book."

"First of all, you don't know me. Second of all, what I do is none of your business," Haley snapped, "Let's just get back to your test. If you want to pass, we need to focus. Start on this study guide."

As Haley chewed on the end of her pencil, reading over her Education Theory textbook and avoiding eye contact with Nathan, her phone buzzed. She looked at it to see a text from him: _**I'm sorry.**_

"You know you're not supposed to use your phone while we're studying," she dully said, without looking up.

"Haley, I'm sorry for what I said," Nathan explained, "You're right, I don't know you. But I want to."

"No, you don't," Haley sighed, "Nathan, we're getting along pretty well, and I don't want to ruin that, so let's just forget this all ever happened, okay?"

"So, about that party?" Nathan tested.

"What's your answer for number one?" Haley asked, looking at him directly, trying not to show any emotion.

* * *

"HE DID WHAT?" Brooke exclaimed when Haley got home later that day.

"Shhhh, Brooke, Emma's asleep," Haley whispered.

"Nathan Scott asked you on a date, and you said no?" Brooke questioned, lowering her volume.

"He didn't ask me on a date, Brooke," Haley insisted, "He basically asked me to be his babysitter."

"We should go!" Brooke whispered loudly, "Come on Hales, I haven't been to a party in weeks, and you haven't been to a party in years! I'll bring Lucas. It'll be fun."

"I don't know Brooke," Haley shook her head, "I mean, I'd have to find someone to watch Emma and I've never left her alone late at night before, and…."

"You know as well as I do that Karen is always begging to babysit," Brooke smiled, "And we don't even have to stay that late. One hour, that's all I'm asking for. If after one hour, you want to go, we can go."

Haley looked into Brooke's pleading eyes. She was right. Haley hadn't been to a party in a long time, and a part of her wanted to see Nathan outside of the four walls of the tutoring center. She still got this weird feeling in the pit of her stomach whenever she was around him.

Going against her better judgement, she got out her phone and texted Nathan: _**When and where is this party?**_

A few minutes later, after Brooke had run into her room to find an outfit to wear to the party, Haley's phone buzzed.

 _ **Nathan: I knew you'd cave eventually. Alpha Tau Omega frathouse. 9pm.**_

Haley smirked at his first comment, typing back and sending a response without even thinking about how flirty it sounded: _**I'll try to make sure you don't get into too much trouble ;)**_

After pushing send, Haley immediately wished she could reach into her phone and take the message back. She had just responded in the moment, and now it was out there. She was snapped out of her worry by a reply from Nathan.

 _ **Nathan: I'll see you there.**_

 _ **Haley: Good luck on your test tomorrow! Remember, believing you'll do well is half the battle**_

 _ **Nathan: Thanks Hales.**_

* * *

Haley was pacing outside the testing center the next day, waiting for Nathan to finish with his math test.

"Haley!" she heard Nathan call out, making her turn around.

"Hey, how'd it go?" she asked nervously. They'd hoped for at least a C, to pull his grade up from a D to a C.

His face looked rather solemn as he said, "I didn't get a C."

Haley sighed, running a hand through her hair, "Nathan it's okay. What matters is you did your best. We'll hit the books harder this week and get you ready for the next test."

"I did do my best," Nathan nodded, finally looking up at Haley, a smile on his face as he held out his test, "B stands for best, right?"

"Oh my gosh, an 83?" Haley exclaimed, looking at the test, flipping through the pages, "Nathan, that's great!"

He opened his arms and without thinking, she jumped into them, hugging him. They stayed like that for a minute or so, and that felling that she got while tutoring, all those butterflies, came rushing back. Just as quickly as she'd jumped in, she jumped out running a hand through her hair again.

"Well, I should get going," Haley nodded, "I've got a lot to get done before tonight."

"I'm glad you decided to come after all," Nathan smiled.

"Thank Brooke, she practically forced me," Haley laughed, "Congratulations again Nathan. You've worked hard the past week. I'll, um, see you tonight, I guess."

* * *

"Dude you've changed your shirt like three times," Nino pointed out, as he stood in the doorway of Nathan's room in their apartment, "What the hell's got you in such a twist?"

"Nothing man, I just want to look good," Nathan replied, shrugging as he buttoned the cuff of his black button down shirt, "Is that a crime?"

"Alright, who is she?" Nino sighed, crossing his arms.

"What are you talking about?" Nathan asked.

"This girl that's got you acting all weird," Nino said, "Usually when we go out, you say that it doesn't matter what you look like, you'll get some anyway. And now you can't stop looking in the mirror."

"Don't start Nino," Nathan growled, pushing past him into the hallway.

"Yo, Nino, I think Nathan's got the hots for his tutor," Skills called out from his place on the couch, where he was playing a video game.

"So that's it? Why couldn't you just say that Nate?" Nino asked, following Nathan into the bathroom.

"Dude, could you just give me some space?" Nathan shouted.

"You give me some answers, and I'll leave," Nino insisted, standing his ground, "Or you could try to make me leave, but we both know how that'd end."

Nino was three inches taller than Nathan and weighed about 35 pounds more. They'd gotten in a fight their freshman year that'd nearly gotten them both kicked off the team, and Nino had broken Nathan's nose and knocked out a few of his teeth.

"She's my tutor and it's whatever," Nathan shrugged, fixing his hair and spraying on some cologne.

"Is she hot?" Skills yelled, not leaving his spot on the couch.

"I don't see why that's any of your business," Nathan replied coldly, taking a page from Haley's vocabulary as he walked past Skills into the kitchen.

"Oooh, she's not," Skills grimaced, "Well, Nate, someone's gotta be the pretty one in a relationship."

Nathan quickly stopped, turned around, and slapped Skills upside the head, "Dude, shut up."

"Ouch," Skills rubbed the back of his head, "Dude, you're confusing me. Is she pretty or not?"

"Let's just go," Nathan sighed, slipping on his Duke letterman jacket as the three friends finally headed out the door.

* * *

"Alright and I have my cell number written down, and you have it in your phone," Haley began, "And I wrote down Brooke's and Lucas' too in case you can't reach me. If she wakes up, rocking her in the rocking chair usually does the trick to get her back to sleep. Sometimes I have to take her on a car ride if it's really bad. If you do, her car seat is by the front door. Diapers and wipes are in our room under the crib. She felt a little warm this morning, but the doctor said it was probably because she's teething. She's been fussy today, maybe I should stay home."

"Haley," Karen interrupted her, allowing Haley to take a breath as she'd been rattling all the information so fast, "We'll be fine. I've taken care of a baby before."

She smiled, giving her son a hug as he stood next to Brooke.

"It's just hard for me to leave her," Haley sighed, standing in the doorway of her room, seeing Emma fast asleep in her crib.

"She won't even know you're gone," Karen insisted, "Go have fun. Be a normal 20 year old."

"Thanks again Karen," Haley smiled, "I owe you."

"Alright party people, let's get this show on the road!" Brooke exclaimed.

"Brooke, are you sure I look okay?" Haley suddenly questioned, looking down at her outfit.

She'd originally just had on jeans and a nice shirt, but Brooke had insisted on letting her borrow something from her wardrobe. Now, she was wearing a short, tight black lace dress with a deep V neckline, showing off a bit more cleavage than Haley was comfortable with, but, to quote Brooke, "You had a baby. Time to show these babies off now."

"Tutor Mom, you look bitchin'!" Brooke insisted, "Now let's go!"

"Bye Mom!" Luke smiled, kissing her cheek before the group left.

* * *

After they'd arrived at the frat house, Haley remembered why she didn't like going to parties. There were so many people crammed into this house, she felt like sardines. They were breaking some fire codes or occupancy rules or something for sure. The DJ, a girl with curly blonde hair and a leather jacket, had the music blasting so loud, Haley could barely hear anything.

"Alright, mission one, get drinks!" Brooke exclaimed.

"I'll go get'em," Lucas volunteered.

"None for me, Luke, thanks," Haley declined.

"Tutor Mom," Brooke whined.

"Someone has to drive us home Brooke, remember?" Haley raised her eyebrows at her, "You and Luke should have fun. One hour, right?"

"Right," Brooke smiled, as Lucas made it back, two red plastic cups in hand.

"For mi'lady," he smiled, giving Brooke a quick kiss before they each took a drink.

"Alright, mission two, find Haley's hottie," Brooke winked.

"Brooke, no," Haley began to disagree, but Brooke grabbed her arm and began to drag her further into the can of sardines.

* * *

Nathan wasn't going to lie, he'd been looking around to see if Haley was there yet. He had a cup of beer from the keg in his hand, but he hadn't touched it, an unusual thing for him at a party. Skills, Nino, and a few of the other guys were currently having a debate about if the Duke Blue Devil mascot was a guy or a girl, but he was only half listening. This time, when he looked towards the entryway, he saw her.

She looked different. During tutoring she wore her glasses and her hair in a ponytail, little to no makeup, jeans and a t-shirt. Tonight, he saw her standing with a brunette in a red dress and a tall, blonde guy. She was wearing a black dress that left little to the imagination, and black lined her eyes, making them pop. Her honey colored hair was curled, and he'd never really noticed how long it was.

He quickly realized that he'd been staring too long, because Haley must've felt like someone was watching her, as their eyes locked from across the room. A blush creeped onto her face as she smiled shyly at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. The brunette she was with said something to her, which made Haley's whole demeanor change, as the brunette grabbed her by the arm, leading her towards Nathan.

The guys knew something was up then.

"Dude, you a'ight?" Skills asked, "You look like you just saw a ghost, man."

"Um," Nathan began to say, before he turned back to the direction Haley'd been coming, and found himself face to face with her.

No one said anything for a few moments, until Brooke broke the silence, "Hi Nathan, I'm Brooke. This is my boyfriend Lucas. And you already know Haley, of course."

"Nice to meet you," Nathan said quickly, trying not to stare at Haley, who looked equally as uncomfortable as he did.

"Woah, this is the tutor girl?" Nino exclaimed.

"Damnnnnnn," Skills drew out, receiving a shove in the arm from Nathan.

"Hey that's funny, I call her Tutor M…" Brooke began to say, before Haley smacked her on the arm, giving her a knowing look, "Tutor girl. I call her that too. Small world."

"Damn, Nate, you both really like hitting people, don't ya?" Nino laughed, taking a sip of his drink.

"Nice job girl, getting our boy to pass his math test," Nino smiled, "You must be a really good tutor to get through to this lunkhead."

"Uh, thanks," Haley managed to stammer, as she felt her face get flushed, "I think I'm going to step outside for some air."

* * *

She pushed her way through the crowd, out onto the deck. It was a cool night, so no one else was out there. Haley shivered, as she took a deep breath, before voice made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"Fancy meeting you here," the voice said, as she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.

"Get the hell away from me Ian," Haley replied coldly.

"You come to this party looking like a slut, you deserve to be treated like one," he said, placing a hand on her waist.

"Get off me," Haley warned, but before she could do anything physical, someone beat her to the punch, as Ian was shoved onto the ground, hitting his head on the deck railing.

Haley turned to see Nathan standing over him, "I think you're a little out of your league, O'Brian."

"Oh please Scott," Ian stood up, "She was asking for it."

Nathan shook his head, before punching Ian squarely in the jaw, sending him flying over the deck railing, falling a few feet onto the ground.

"Are you alright?" Nathan asked, turning to Haley, who was in shock.

"Um, no, not really," she said, trying to catch her breath, "I think…I think I should go."

Nathan helped her inside, as a few of O'Brian's buddies ran outside to help him.

"Haley, are you okay?" Brooke asked, hurrying over to her friend, Lucas right behind her.

"This tool, Ian, wasn't leaving her alone," Nathan shook his head, "I took care of it."

At the mention of the name, both Brooke and Lucas looked at each other and then at Haley. Haley was hardly able to get a word out.

"Nathan, I'll, I'll see you tomorrow," Haley hurriedly said, before the three friends left quickly.

* * *

Haley lay curled up in her bed, but was unable to sleep. She tossed and turned for hours, unable to get the feel of Ian's touch off her body. She had just been able to put him out of her mind and had started to drift off to sleep, finally, when Emma started crying.

"Mama!" Emma cried sleepily, standing in her crib, reaching out for her mother.

Sighing, Haley climbed out of bed and over to her daughter's crib, lifting her out and changing her diaper. As she sat in the rocking chair, rocking Emma back to sleep, she admired her daughter's features. Everyone always said she looked exactly like Haley, except for her eyes. Her eyes were a light blue. She stroked Emma's face as the young girl finally fell back asleep.

Climbing back into her bed, she checked her phone, seeing that it was now past 2 am. She was surprised to see 2 text messages from Nathan from a few hours earlier.

 _ **Nathan: Hales, I hope you're okay. Sorry if what I did scared you, I just couldn't let that creep talk about you like that.**_

 _ **Nathan: Oh, and you looked beautiful tonight, by the way.**_

Haley smiled, setting her phone back onto her nightstand, not bothering to text Nathan back at this hour. He'd said she was beautiful. And she couldn't help but notice how he'd hardly been able to talk to her at the party, before the whole Ian situation. Could he have been nervous? Haley shook the thought out of her head. He was Nathan Scott, Campus God. He could get any girl he wanted on a whim. How could she, Haley James, a bookworm nerd, make him nervous?

* * *

 **And that's Chapter 2! The words just kept flowing for this one, so enjoy two chapters in one day, because it probably won't be happening too often!**

 **Please review and let me know what you thought! And let me know what you would want to see happen in this story!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Good morning Sunshine," Brooke smiled, as she sat on the island in the kitchen, watching Haley make breakfast, "How are you holding up?"

"Didn't sleep much, but I'm fine Brooke, really," Haley tried to assure her, flipping the pancakes.

"I know seeing him again was hard," Brooke shook her head, "I'm sorry, Haley, I shouldn't have made us go to that party."

"It's not your fault Brooke," Haley forced a small smile, shrugging, "It was bound to happen eventually. We go to the same school."

"Maybe we should talk to…." Brooke began, before Haley cut her off.

"I'm sorry Brooke, but I'm done talking about it," Haley said defensively, "The only good thing that came of any of this was Emma. I just want to move on with my life."

"Okay," Brooke nodded, as her best friend went back to flipping pancakes.

Brooke sighed, noticing that Haley's hands were still shaking a bit. She knew she couldn't push her too much, but she wanted to help her. She didn't know what to do. She was snapped back to reality when Emma began crying.

"I'll get her Hales," Brooke said, sliding off the counter and heading into Haley and Emma's room, "Hi princess. Oh, don't cry. You love your Aunt Brooke."

Brooke held Emma on her hip, as the young girl looked up at her, her light blue eyes still shining with tears yet to be formed.

"Your mom's going to be okay," Brooke whispered, "I promise."

* * *

Haley walked into the café, backpack slung over her shoulder, hair thrown into a messy ponytail. Nathan had asked if they could meet here today, at Karen's. It was located close to campus, and was a favorite hangout for college kids looking for a cheap meal. Looking around, she saw Nathan tucked in a booth in the back. Seeing her enter, he smiled, waving her over. She found herself returning the smile, but quickly forced her lips into a straight line, shoving her backpack into the booth and taking a seat.

"Fancy meeting you here," Karen said as she approached the booth, which made Haley jump, clutching the edge of the table with a death grip. Those were the words Ian had said last night.

"Oh, Karen, you scared me," Haley took a deep breath.

"You know Karen?" Nathan asked, looking between the two.

"You know Karen?" Haley retorted, looking between Karen and Nathan.

"His father and I went to high school together," Karen explained, "He and Keith played ball together too. And Nathan, Lucas is my son. I believe you met him last night."

"Oh, small world," Nathan smiled, looking to Haley, who was still looking a little on edge, "Can we get two coffees please?"

Karen nodded, placing a hand on Haley's shoulder, giving her a supportive smile before walking back to the counter.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the two had yet to exchange many words. Nathan did his math in silence, occasionally looking up at Haley, who was pretending to read one of her textbooks, but he knew she wasn't really. Over the past week, he'd noticed that when she was studying, her brow furrowed just the tiniest bit, and she moved her lips as she read.

"What's with the Ice Queen act?" Nathan finally broke the silence, trying to meet her gaze.

"Bite me," Haley muttered under her breath, not looking up from her book.

"Nah, you'd probably like it," Nathan smirked, knowing that pushing her buttons would get her to talk.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Haley snapped, rather loudly, causing the other people in the café to turn and look at them momentarily.

"Hales, some guy groped you at the party last night," Nathan said softly, "You were really shaken up. Are you okay?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Haley sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Nathan, I am fine. I appreciate you helping me, but you could get in some serious trouble for what you did last night."

"Nah, don't worry about me," Nathan scoffed, "Ian O'Brian knows better than to mess with Nathan Scott, trust me."

"Still, what if he would've been able to fight back?" Haley questioned.

"I was protecting you from that lowlife creep, end of story," Nathan replied, "Just think of me as your knight in shining armor, alright?"

This caused Haley to crack a small smile, before meeting Nathan's gaze finally, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Nathan smirked, "But next time I need rescuing from the big, bad world of math, I expect you to throw a few punches."

Half an hour later, the two stood up to leave. Nathan had to get to practice. As they walked out the doors, having to part ways, Haley could not think of anything to say, so, nervously, she turned and began to walk to her car. As she reached the door, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning her head cautiously, she saw Nathan approaching.

"Aren't you going to be late for shooting your free shots?" Haley looked up at him, as his 6'2 frame towered over her petite 5'4.

Nathan chuckled, "It's free throws Hales."

"Same thing," Haley rolled her eyes, knowing she obviously lacked in her knowledge of basketball.

"I just wanted to tell you that I meant what I said last night," Nathan staring into her brown eyes, "You looked beautiful."

Haley began to panic as he leaned closer to her, and held her breath as he whispered in her ear, "But you look even more beautiful now."

And with that, he walked away, leaving Haley leaning against her car in disbelief, still able to feel his warm breath on her skin.

* * *

"Nathan, a word?" Coach K asked, as they were finishing up their practice.

Nathan jogged over to the sidelines, taking a swig from his water bottle, "What's up, coach?"

"How's it going with your tutor?" Coach K said.

"She's great coach, really, she's helped me a lot already," Nathan smirked, "I got a B on my math test yesterday."

"I'm sorry, I, um, misinformed you about her," the coach cleared his throat, "I just did not want you going into this with the wrong intentions.

"You don't have to worry about my intentions, Coach," said Nathan, "I'm not going to mess this up."

"I'm glad you're taking this so seriously Nathan," Coach K nodded, "We need you to lead the team this season if we want to make it to the postseason."

"I'll get us there Coach, I promise," Nathan replied.

* * *

Haley sat on the couch a few days later, Emma perched in her lap as they looked at a big, colorful book of animals. Brooke sat in the armchair, aimlessly sketching.

"That's a cat, Ems, what does the cat say?" Haley asked.

"Mowwwwh," Emma said, giggling.

"Smarty pants," Haley smiled, as her phone began to ring.

Noticing the Caller ID, Brooke smirked, taking Emma from Haley's lap and holding her on her hip, "Ems, why don't you come help Aunt Brooke pick out her outfit for her date, hmm? Mommy has an important phone call."

"Brooke," Haley sighed, shaking her head as she answered the phone, "Hello?"

"What are you doing right now?" Nathan asked.

"What are you talking about?" Haley questioned.

"Meet me at Cameron Stadium in twenty minutes," Nathan replied.

"I'm sorry, Nathan, I have a lot going on right now," Haley started to explain, before Brooke yelled from the other room, "NO SHE DOESN'T!"

"Tell Brooke I said thanks," Nathan laughed, "I'll see you soon, I hope."

"Brooke, I'm going to kill you," Haley growled, walking into Brooke's room.

"I just called Lucas," Brooke smiled, "We'll take Emma to the park with us. Go Tutor Mom."

"I'm not going to let you mess up your plans by babysitting," Haley retorted, "You've been looking forward to trying that new Italian place for weeks."

"And it'll still be there next weekend," Brooke insisted, "You need to do something spontaneous, Hales. Live a little."

"Is this…" Haley began hesitantly, "What if he thinks this is a date or something?"

"So what if it is? Or so what if it isn't?" Brooke smiled, "Do you want it to be a date?"

"I don't know," Haley ran a hand through her hair, smiling "I just get this feeling whenever I'm around him, I can't really explain it."

"You've been smiling a lot more lately," Brooke pointed out, "He makes you smile."

Haley sat on the edge of the bed, next to Emma who was playing with the bracelet that Nathan had given Haley, "It doesn't matter Brooke, he doesn't know…about Emma."

Brooke looked at Haley sympathetically, "Hales, I know you like him."

Haley opened her mouth to protest, but Brooke continued, "But you can't keep her a secret."

"Brooke, you know how people are," Haley stated.

"Yeah, I do," Brooke nodded, "But I also know that Emma is nothing to be ashamed about. You should be proud that you're raising an amazing daughter. And if some guy can't handle that, then he's not the right guy."

"Thanks," Haley sighed, as Emma held out the bracelet to her.

"Mama," Emma smiled, as Haley slipped the bracelet onto her wrist.

"But how do I tell him?" Haley asked, laying back on the bed, as Emma crawled to lay on top of her, "Hey Nathan, thanks for saying I'm beautiful. Oh, by the way, I have a baby?"

"You just have to be honest and upfront, Hales," Brooke replied simply, "That's all you can do."

Haley sighed, running a hand through her hair as he hugged her daughter tightly to her chest, placing a kiss to her forehead.

* * *

Haley closed the door of her car, walking slowly up the path to the stadium. She tugged nervously on the end of her long sleeve blue t-shirt, which had shrunk a bit in the wash, leaving a sliver of her midriff exposed. The butterflies came rushing back to her as she saw Nathan standing outside, pacing in front of the large brick building.

"Hey, you came," he smiled as she approached him, "I was starting to think you wouldn't show."

"What's so important that you got me out of the house on a Saturday?" Haley asked, looking at Nathan inquisitively.

"I want to show you something," he said simply, holding out his hand, "Do you trust me?"

In that moment, Haley realized that somehow, even though she hardly knew a thing about him, she did trust him. There was something about Nathan Scott that intrigued Haley James, but she was still cautious, not letting her guard down fully.

She hesitantly took his hand, as he led her inside and into the stairwell. Several flights of stairs later, which involved Haley continuously asking where they were going and Nathan continuously not answering her, they arrived at a door that said "ROOF ACCESS."

"Close your eyes," Nathan said softly, squeezing her hand slightly.

A few moments later, as Nathan led Haley through the doorway, he said, "Okay, open."

Haley opened her eyes to see the most beautiful view. The sun was just starting to set, and cast a beautiful glow on the world below. You could see the entire campus from here, which seemed to stretch on for miles.

"Wow," Haley said, rather in awe.

"I come up here to think, be alone," Nathan smiled, leading her towards the large metal heating units that stood in the middle of the roof, "Hell of a view."

"Yeah, it's beautiful out here," Haley replied, looking around.

"I wasn't talking about that view," Nathan smirked, as Haley turned to look at him, a blush appearing on her face.

* * *

"Nathan," she shook her head, releasing her hand from his, as she leaned against the edge of the roof.

"What?" Nathan appeared confused, "I've called you beautiful before."

"Yeah, but maybe it…this, isn't such a good idea," Haley said, biting her lip.

"Why not?" Nathan questioned, taking a few steps closer to her.

"Because I don't know anything about you," Haley replied frankly, "I've heard the rumors. I've read the headlines, but I don't know you, Nathan Scott."

"Alright then, well, I don't like pickles on my burger," Nathan said.

"Nathan," Haley glared, "I'm serious."

"I'm serious too, pickles are gross!" Nathan laughed, "So you really want to know about me?"

"More than pickles," Haley looked into his blue eyes.

The two stood in silence for a moment, as Nathan thought about what to say.

"I'm scared," Nathan nodded, looking out over the view from the roof, "I come up here to think about what my life will be like if I don't make it to the NBA."

"Nathan, from what I've read, you're a great player," Haley insisted, "Why would you be scared?"

"One percent of college basketball players make it to the NBA, Hales," Nathan continued, "You're smart. You're going places, you're going to be an amazing teacher. Basketball is all I have. It's my one ticket to a future."

"That doesn't mean I'm not scared about my future too," Haley looked at him, knowing that she had to tell him, now or never.

"Why would you…" Nathan began, before being interrupted.

"I have a daughter," she blurted out, feeling a lot better as she finally admitted it, "Her name's Emma. She's a year old. And she's my number one priority. We're a package deal, Nathan, and…I don't know what your endgame is here, or what your feelings are. I'm not like all those other girls I know you've been with, so I sure as hell don't know what you see in me. But I'm not asking you to pick me. I'm giving you an out, right now. We can forget any of this ever happened and just go back to tutoring."

The two stood in silence for a minute, as Haley looked down at her feet, toying with the bracelet on her wrist.

"So, there it is," Haley nodded, rocking back on her heels, as Nathan ran a hand through his hair.

"Haley, this is….a lot," Nathan said nervously.

"I'm gonna go," Haley said quietly, heading for the door.

"Wait," Nathan tried to stop her, as she turned back around.

"You need to think about what you really want here, Nathan," Haley stated, "Because I can't be those other girls for you. I won't."

"I'm not asking you to be," Nathan replied, somewhat defensively.

"I'll see you on Monday, Nathan," she said, before she left. A few minutes later, Nathan looked out over the roof, seeing her hurry to her car.

"Damn," Nathan sighed, sitting on top of the large metal box in the middle of the roof.

* * *

The next day, Haley sat on the couch, watching Finding Nemo with Emma, when her phone started buzzing. It was Nathan. She ignored the call, looking to her notifications to see that she had 5 missed calls from Nathan from last night and this morning, and 2 text messages.

 _ **Nathan: Haley, we need to talk. Please call me.**_

 _ **Nathan: You at least should hear me out. You didn't give me a chance to talk.**_

"You should really hear what he has to say Hales," Lucas said, entering the room and sitting next to her on the couch.

"It hasn't even been 24 hours, Luke," Haley retorted, trying to avoid eye contact, "He needs time to think about what I told him."

"Maybe he doesn't have to think, did you ever think about that Hales?" Lucas asked her, "God, I never thought I'd say this about him, but maybe he's a decent enough guy. Maybe he's more than the rumors we hear about."

"Maybe I just don't know if I can put myself out there again, Luke," Haley whispered quietly, tears forming in her eyes as she tried to hold them back. She looked at Emma sitting on the floor.

"You can't hide behind this fortress that you've built around yourself forever," Lucas looked at her, placing his hand on her knee.

"I'm not…" Haley cut in, but was unable to finish what she was saying, as Lucas continued.

"You know that romantic notion that all the garbage and the pain we feel in life is really healing and beautiful and sort of poetic? It's not. It's just garbage and it's pain," Lucas stated, smiling at her, "You know what's better? Love. The day that you start thinking that love is overrated is the day that you're wrong. The only thing wrong with love and faith and belief is not having it."

Haley wiped the tears that had begun to fall from her face, "You certainly have a way with words, Luke. You're going to be a great author."

"I'm not saying you have to marry the guy, Hales," Lucas replied, "But sooner or later, you've got to open your heart and let someone in."

* * *

Later that night, Haley lay in bed, sleep evading her yet again. As she reached for her phone on the nightstand, her wrist collided with the wood, causing her to realize that she was still wearing the bracelet from Nathan.

Toying with it, thoughts raced through her mind. She was only supposed to be tutoring him for another week. What would happen after that? Was this all just a game to him, a fling, an attempt to get in her pants? He'd called her beautiful, too many times over the past few days, but maybe that was just part of it all, his façade. What would Nathan Scott see in her? Especially now, when, without warning, she'd dropped the baby bombshell on him. Most twenty-year-old college guys were worried about their weekend conquests and if the keg was full, not changing diapers and comforting a crying baby.

She hadn't dated since Emma was born, and she told herself it was all to protect Emma. But, thanks to her past experiences, she had built up some high walls to guard her heart, to keep herself from getting hurt again.

Taking a deep breath as she was finally sure of her decision, she slipped the bracelet off her wrist, setting it on the nightstand before rolling over and finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 **So that's Chapter 3! What did you think?**

 **Please review and let me know what you would like to see happen in future chapters!**


	4. Chapter 4

**First off, can I just say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story? I did not expect this much of an "audience" so soon on in this story, so thank you!**

* * *

"Dude, what's up with you?" Nino asked, as he and Nathan and Skills sat in their apartment on Sunday, "You've been quiet since you got home last night. And you missed half your threes this morning."

"I took Haley to my spot yesterday," Nathan replied, shooting a mini basketball into a hoop they had attached to the wall. It bounced off the rim and rolled to the floor.

"Woah, you won't even let us go up there with you," Skills said, "What happened? Anything good?"

"We were just talking man," Nathan answered, "And I told her something I've never told anyone. I got real with her, and then she told me that she has a daughter."

"She has a kid?!" Nino exclaimed, eyes bugging out of his head.

"Yeah," Nathan sighed, leaning forward on the couch, head in his hands, "Is this supposed to change the way I feel? I don't even know what to think."

"Wow, dude, that's intense man," Skills replied, plopping down in the armchair next to the couch, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A girl," Nathan looked confused, "But why does that matter?"

"Cuz a boy could fit into our club, you know. A little mini-me walking around, shooting hoops, like Austin Powers," Skills explained, "But a girl? She got you playing Barbies and tea parties and shit."

"I don't think that's the advice Nathan was looking for Skills," Nino retorted, "So what'd you say to her after she told you?"

"I said it was a lot," Nathan hesitantly replied, "But then she didn't let me finish talking. She just left and said I needed to think about it, if I really liked her or not now that I knew."

"And you haven't talked to her since then?" Skills asked.

"No, she's completely icing me out," Nathan said, "I don't know, she knows about all the girls I've been with. That's not too hard to figure out, but she said she wasn't like all those other girls, that she couldn't be them for me. But…she's not just another notch on my belt, guys. There's something about her."

"Dude, you seem pretty serious about this girl for only knowing her a few weeks," Nino pointed out.

"I like the way I feel when I'm around her," Nathan continued, "She treats me like a person, instead of God's Gift to Basketball, like all the other girls. I thought I liked all the attention, the girls falling all over me, the parties, but it's never felt like enough. I guess, when I'm with her, I want to be different…better or something."

Skills nodded, "And the fact that she got a kid ain't scare you just a little bit?"

"I mean, of course it scares me," Nathan retorted, "I've never been around kids. I don't even know if I like kids. But I do know that I like Haley. Maybe it's time I grew up and got serious about my life, you know?"

"Well, it sounds like you've got your answer then man," Nino rested his hand on Nathan's shoulder, "I like this new you Nate."

"It's not a new me, Nino," Nathan replied, "It's just me. The me I should've been a long time ago."

* * *

Monday morning came, and Haley sat in her Education Theory class, trying to listen to the professor's lecture, but she kept checking the time on her phone. She was supposed to meet Nathan at the tutoring center after this class. On one hand, she was dreading the conversation that they would inevitably have. But a part of her had hated not talking to him these past few days.

"Alright class, we'll finish there today," the professor said, "A little early, but make sure you get that essay on Social Learning in by Friday. Class dismissed."

As Haley drove to the tutoring center, her mind was racing a mile a minute. She could still hear Nathan's words in her head, "Haley, this is…a lot."

It was a lot. The day she found out she was pregnant, she knew her life was going to be changed immediately, forever.

* * *

 **FLASHBACK TO HALEY'S FRESHMAN YEAR**

" _ **I can't be pregnant Brooke," Haley cried, as her friend hugged her in their dorm room, "I can't be, not after everything that's happened."**_

" _ **It's going to be okay Haley," Brooke assured her, "Whatever you decide, I'm here for you."**_

" _ **I don't know if I can do this," Haley shook her head, wiping the tears from her face.**_

" _ **I'll go with you, to the doctor," said Brooke, "Those drugstore tests can be wrong sometimes.**_

 _ **Haley sat in the waiting room of the health clinic on the other side of town. She hadn't wanted to go to the clinic on campus, to avoid seeing anyone she knew. Until she knew 100% if she was pregnant or not, this was for her and Brooke to know only.**_

 _ **Brooke got up to use the bathroom, as Haley began to bite her thumbnail nervously, and then a woman came to sit a few chairs down from her, obviously very pregnant. Haley found herself staring, and soon, the woman noticed too. She quickly tried to look away, but it was too late.**_

" _ **Are you alright?" the woman asked, noticing Haley's nail-biting and tear-stained cheeks.**_

" _ **Um, yeah, I'm fine," Haley muttered quickly, wishing she could crawl into a hole and die right about now.**_

 _ **But the woman, who looked to be in her late twenties, knew better, "Is this your first time?"**_

 _ **Haley sighed, "Is it that obvious?"**_

" _ **No, I just remember acting the exact same way," the woman smiled softly, "Do you go to school around here?"**_

" _ **D..Duke," Haley stuttered.**_

" _ **I was a sophomore at NC Central when I found out I was pregnant," the woman explained, "I came here, actually, and I was terrified."**_

" _ **What happened?" Haley asked, grateful to hear advice from someone who knew what she was going through.**_

 _ **The woman smiled, "I had my son, Malachi. He's six now, just started first grade. And now my husband and I are having a little girl in November."**_

" _ **Was it hard?" Haley asked.**_

" _ **It wasn't easy. I was exhausted all the time, and had to get a job and go to school and take care of a baby," the woman continued, "But every time I see my son smile, I know I made the right choice. It was hard, but it was worth it."**_

" _ **Haley," Brooke interrupted, "They're calling you."**_

" _ **Oh okay," Haley replied. She'd been so busy talking, she hadn't heard the nurse calling her name.**_

 _ **Nervously standing up and walking to where Brooke and the nurse stood, she said to the woman, "Thank you."**_

" _ **Haley," the woman called, causing Haley to turn around before heading back to the exam room, "Good luck."**_

" _ **I didn't ask your name," Haley realized.**_

" _ **Emily," she replied.**_

" _ **Well, Ms. James, you are definitely pregnant," the doctor stated hours later, as Haley sat uncomfortably, "Now, we do offer a free ultrasound, to determine the gestation of the pregnancy and the health of the baby. Would you like that?"**_

 _ **Without even fully realizing what she was doing, Haley nodded, still in shock. She was 18 years old, almost finished with her first year of college. She couldn't raise a baby alone.**_

 _ **A few moments later, Haley, and Brooke, who was standing next to her, holding her hand, heard a small thumping sound. The doctor turned the monitor so the two girls could see it.**_

" _ **That's the baby's heartbeat," the doctor informed them, pointing to the small bean shape on the screen, "And that there, is the baby. You look to be about 8 weeks along."**_

" _ **Brooke," Haley managed to stammer, unable to say anything else as she looked at her best friend by her side, tears in her eyes.**_

" _ **I know Hales," Brooke looked astonished, "I see it. Wow. There's really a baby in there."**_

" _ **Yeah, there is," Haley realized, for the first time, that there was a human being growing inside of her.**_

" _ **Now, Haley, you have options," the doctor said, after the ultrasound was done and she'd sat up from the exam table, "I have some pamphlets for you about terminating the pregnancy, and adoption. I can also arrange for a meeting with a counselor if you'd like, to discuss all of your options more personally."**_

" _ **Thank you Doctor.," Haley replied, "But..I think I'm going to keep it."**_

 _ **The doctor nodded, "Okay, but just to let you know, you do still have time to change your mind. Take the pamphlets, just in case."**_

" _ **Alright," Haley managed a small smile, amid the tears that had formed in her eyes again, as she and Brooke walked to the door.**_

" _ **Oh, and Haley," the doctor called, walking over to her and holding out a small piece of paper, "I thought you might want this."**_

 _ **Haley turned it over to see a slightly grainy black and white photo of the ultrasound. She ran a finger over the small bean, "Thank you."**_

 **END FLASHBACK**

Haley smiled as she parked in the parking lot, thinking about that day that had changed her life. Deciding to keep Emma had been the hardest decision she'd ever had to make, but it had also been the best. She couldn't imagine her life without her now.

As if Karen was reading her mind, Haley's phone buzzed with a picture message. She opened it to see Karen, Keith, and Emma on the swings at the park, with the caption "See you soon Mom!"

* * *

She got out of the car after sending a quick reply to Karen, thanking her for watching Emma, before slipping her phone in her pocket and walking slowly into the tutoring center. As usual during this time of day, it was empty, except for a familiar dark haired figure at their table in the corner, sitting with his back to her.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Nathan turned around, standing up to face her, his hands quickly shoved nervously in the pockets of his dark-wash jeans, "Hey."

"Hi," Haley replied, "You're early."

"Yeah, I was hoping we could talk," Nathan looked at her, cautiously.

"Okay," she nodded, taking a seat across from him.

"I'm going to be honest, when you told me about Emma, I got a little freaked out," Nathan began, "And I'm still a little freaked out. I hope you can understand that."

"Yeah, I understand," Haley replied quietly.

"And I'm glad you gave me time to think, because it made me realize something," Nathan continued, "I told you I was worried about the future, and I still am, but I need to live in the here and now. I like you, Haley James, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to prove it to you."

"Nathan, I don't think you understand," Haley sighed.

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy. I know that I can be an ass, and I don't know the first thing about kids," Nathan smirked, "But I'm willing to try, if you are Hales."

"Why would you do that?" Haley replied, rather timidly now, Nathan noting the hint of fear in her eyes.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, Haley, and being around you, I guess I just don't want to be that guy anymore," Nathan explained.

"Well, who do you want to be then?" Haley asked.

"I want to be someone who's good enough to be seen with you," Nathan replied, him quietly now, "It's about time I screw my head on straight."

"I like you too Nathan," Haley said, barely audible at a whisper, "But…"

"But what?" Nathan asked, "Haley, this doesn't have to be complicated."

"But it is complicated Nathan!" Haley exclaimed, her volume going from 0 to 50 immediately, "Life is complicated and there's things that you don't know, things that I can't tell you yet. If…If anything is going to happen here, we have to take things slow."

"We can take things as slow as you want to," Nathan assured her.

"I'm talking like a snail's pace, Nathan," Haley continued, one hand laying on the table and the other resting on her forehead, "With boundaries and limitations. I have a really hard time trusting people. I don't know if I can put you through all of that, make you jump through all these hoops."

Nathan reached across the table, lightly placing his hand on top of hers. He felt her flinch slightly at his touch, but then her hand relaxed, "Take all the time you need, Hales. You're in charge here, you make the calls, okay?"

Haley looked into his ice blue eyes, a part of her not wanting to look away, when his thumb began to stroke the back of her hand. She quickly pulled it away.

"Uh, we should, um, probably get to studying," Haley stammered, "Only a few more days to get your grades up to where they need to be. All for the dream, right?"

Nathan nodded, knowing that her guard was still up, "Yeah."

* * *

An hour later, the two walked out of the tutoring center, after Nathan insisted on walking Haley to her car, "You never know what kind of creeps you can run into."

"Trust me, I know," Haley sighed, as they reached her car, she turned to face him, leaning against it, "Thank you, for being so understanding about all of this. I really appreciate it."

Nathan opened his arms tentatively, worried that even a hug might scare Haley off. Sure, she'd hugged him after he got that B on his test, but she'd jumped out of his arms almost as soon as she'd jumped into them. And on the roof, he'd taken her hand, but he'd noticed that it was shaking.

Haley took a deep breath before allowing herself to be enveloped in Nathan's embrace. He could feel how tense she still was, but he liked the way this felt, her in his arms.

What neither of them knew, though, was that they were not alone. Someone was standing on the sidewalk, about fifty yards away.

"Well we can't let this happen now, can we?" they said quietly to themselves, before snapping a pic of the two hugging and walking off.

* * *

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter, y'all, but I wanted to get this one up! Who do you think is the mysterious photographer? What will they do with the photo? **

**Please review and let me know what you think of this story, and what you'd like to see happen in future chapters!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**A week later…**_

"I'm really sorry, Haley, if it was any other day I would," Karen apologized, "But we're slammed at the café today, and one of my waitresses up and quit. I have someone new starting tomorrow, so I can still take her on Friday, if you want."

"I understand, that'd be great," Haley replied, "Thanks Karen."

Haley hung up the phone. Brooke was originally supposed to babysit Emma today, while she had her last tutoring session with Nathan. But, she ended up arranging a last-minute meeting with an investor who was interested in helping her start her clothing company. She'd apologized, and even offered to take Emma with her, but Haley couldn't let her do that. She'd called Lucas too, but he had an English final. Karen had been her last resort. Sighing, she dialed a now-familiar number.

"Hey what's up?" Nathan answered, not expecting to hear from Haley so close to their study session.

"I think I have to cancel today," Haley replied, "Brooke was supposed to babysit, but she can't and neither can Lucas or Karen."

"Oh," Nathan said, a little upset. It had been a few days since he'd seen Haley. With classes and practice, they'd had to cancel the past two sessions. It wasn't like he really needed them anymore. His grades were up to B's, he was passing, he had the GPA to play. But, they were both using the excuse to see each other, "Well, why don't you bring her? We could go to the park or something?"

"Don't you have an English paper due tomorrow?" Haley inquired, already knowing the answer though. She knew his class schedule and due dates as well as her own.

"Yeah, but I'm almost done," Nathan simply said, "And I could use the break."

Haley thought to herself. It seemed a little soon to introduce Nathan to Emma. They'd only been…whatever they were, for a week. The only time they really spent together was during tutoring, aside from the few times Nathan had taken her out to lunch or dinner after their sessions. She was slowly warming up to the idea of being around him more, but she worried about what meeting Emma would mean.

"I guess we could use the fresh air," Haley rationalized, "We can meet you there in like ten minutes?"

* * *

Haley pushed Emma in her stroller as they made it to the park. It was late in the afternoon, so the park was basically empty. She quickly spotted Nathan sitting at a nearby picnic table, and his face lit up when he saw her. She parked the stroller, and he pulled her into his arms, something that they'd both become accustomed to doing, but this time, he also pressed a light kiss to her forehead. Before Haley could pull away of her own accord, though, a squawk erupted from the stroller, bringing them both back to reality.

"She always wants to be the center of attention," Haley sighed, smiling as she turned to unbuckle Emma and pick her up, resting her on her hip.

"Nathan, this is Emma," Haley nervously introduced, "Emma, can you say hi to Nathan?"

Emma immediately shied away, burying her face into her mother's shoulder.

"I'm sorry, she doesn't really like strangers," Haley apologized.

"Hey Emma," Nathan said softly, bending down a bit so she could see his face.

Emma moved her head a bit to look at him, upon hearing her name. She looked him over nervously, before reaching her arms out to him, wanting him to hold her. She fidgeted in her mother's arms.

"She's never done this before," Haley said, slightly amazed, mostly shocked.

She noticed how Nathan shifted his weight on his feet, looking really nervous now.

"I, I'm, uh, I've never," Nathan stuttered, "I've never held a baby before Hales. I wouldn't want to drop her or something."

"You don't have to," Haley shook her head, "She'll be fine."

Haley tried to adjust Emma in her arms, while Emma kept reaching out for Nathan, screaming bloody murder.

"She's never like this," Haley assured him, "I…"

Before she could finish, Nathan had reached over, taking Emma from her, mostly just so she'd stop screaming, and as soon as she was in his arms, she did.

"And you said you'd never held a baby before," Haley smiled.

"I haven't," Nathan insisted, though he figured he could do this all the time. Emma was light as a feather.

"Well, you look pretty good," Haley replied.

"Just pretty good?" Nathan smirked.

"Don't push it Scott," Haley quickly said, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear nervously, "So what should we do?"

"Well, I thought that we could do something that I'm good at for a change," Nathan smiled, turning back to the picnic table, where his gym bag sat, pulling out a basketball.

"Wow, can't even get you away from the game for five minutes," Haley laughed, as Nathan set Emma down, holding out the ball to her.

"Emma, what's this?" he asked.

"Ball!" she exclaimed, reaching out for it, but unable to hold its weight, it fell to the ground and rolled away. She happily chased after it.

* * *

After a hilarious two-on-one game that Haley lost miserably, she and Nathan sat back at the picnic table, watching Emma munch on the Cheetos that Nathan had brought.

"Only edible thing in our apartment," he'd apologized, "Typical college guys, I know."

As the two sat, Nathan draped his arm around Haley's shoulders, pulling her in a little closer to him.

"This isn't how I pictured you two meeting," Haley said, "I know it's really soon, and…"

"Haley," Nathan interrupted her, as he'd come to do often when she started babbling aimlessly, "It's okay. I had fun today."

Haley her head to look at him, not realizing how close they actually were, their faces mere inches apart. As his blue eyes looked into hers, she turned her head back, a blush creeping onto her face, "Me too."

"Wow, don't you two look cozy?" a voice came from behind them.

They turned to see Brooke approaching, making the kind of entrance only Brooke Davis could make.

"How's my favorite niece?" Brooke smiled, crouching down to place a kiss on Emma's head.

"Hey, how did you meeting go?" Haley asked, going against what her head said to do and staying in Nathan's embrace in front of Brooke.

"This guy, Andy, he's awesome," Brooke replied, "He's a young entrepreneur, started his own company and now it's worth millions. He contacted my advisor, asking if there was any potential in student start-ups and she gave him my name. He liked my ideas, and he wants to meet with me again!"

"That's great, Brooke, really!" Haley insisted.

"Now, enough about me, can we talk about how cute you guys are?" Brooke winked, "Ugh, I have to take a picture."

"Brooke," Haley gave her a 'what are you doing' kind of look.

"Oh come on, Emma can be in it too if you're worried about being the center of attention Hales," Brooke insisted, picking Emma, whose face was now covered in orange Cheeto dust, up and sitting her between the couple.

Nathan could feel Haley tense under his grasp, so he rubbed his thumb on her arm, trying to relax her. He was used to getting his picture taken; she, obviously, was not.

"So Nate," Brooke said, after taking the photo, "What's this I hear about some big scrimmage this weekend? A couple guys in my business class were talking about how tickets are already sold out."

"Uh, it's called Countdown to Craziness," Nathan smiled, "It's basically the opener for the season. All the players get introduced, we do some stupid dance moves."

"I wish we could go. Lucas would love it," Brooke replied, "He played in high school, would've gone on to play college too, but he had to quit. Heart condition."

"Well, it's not sold out if you know the right people," Nathan chuckled, reaching into his gym bag and producing three tickets, "And lucky for you guys, you do."

"Sweet! Thanks Nate," Brooke smiled, taking two of the tickets and picking up Emma, "I am kidnapping your daughter and we'll see you at home."

"Bye Emma," Nathan smiled, waving as the small girl giggled and waved back.

"So," Nathan said a few minutes later when neither of them had spoken, "What are you thinking?"

Haley sighed, feeling comfortable enough to lean her head on his shoulder, "I'm thinking, if you play half as good as you did with Emma on your shoulders, then Duke's going to have a pretty good season."

"Thanks," Nathan replied, "But you know that's not what I meant."

"Fine then," Haley relented, looking up into his blue eyes, "I'm happy."

She even felt brave enough to place a light kiss to his cheek, before returning her head to his shoulder.

* * *

Nathan ran to the bench after practice the next day, taking a drink from his water bottle when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see an all-too-familiar face, wearing a Duke cheerleading uniform.

"Hi Nate," Rachel said, flipping her curled red hair behind her shoulder, "You looked good out there."

"Thanks Rachel," he replied politely, trying to move past her to the locker room.

"Are you going to the party tonight?" she asked, moving to block his path.

"Nah, I think I'm going to sit this one out," he said, "Scrimmage is tomorrow, I want to have a clear head."

"Oh, I could definitely help with that," Rachel said, seductively arching her eyebrow, "If you want."

"Thanks, but no thanks, Rachel," Nathan insisted, trying to move past her again, but again, she blocked his path, now rather annoyed.

"Since when have you ever turned me down?" Rachel spat.

"Since today, I guess," Nathan shrugged, "Look Rachel, I've gotta go."

Rachel narrowed her eyes as he walked into the locker room, turning and stomping off a few moments later.

* * *

Haley, Brooke, Lucas, and Emma sat at Karen's, enjoying lunch after their Friday classes got out. Lucas was trying to explain basketball to Brooke and Haley, who seemed completely oblivious and utterly bored.

"I hate to break it to you Broody," Brooke cut in, "But I think the only thing that interests Haley here about basketball is Nathan."

"Brooke!" Haley exclaimed, hitting her arm.

"Ow!" Brooke squeaked, "What, it's true!"

Emma laughed out loud.

"What, you think your Aunt Brooke getting hit by your mom is funny?" Brooke turned to look at the little girl, "I thought you were on my side!"

A notification from Brooke's phone then took her attention, but both Haley and Lucas could see the change in her mood on her face when she looked at the screen.

"Brooke, what is it?" Haley asked, not getting an answer from her.

"Hey, earth to Pretty Girl," Lucas chimed in, and that got her to look up, her mouth open wide in shock.

"Haley, I," Brooke stammered, not being able to finish, but handing Haley her phone.

Haley saw a post from some page on Instagram called "Duke's Dirty Deets." It was a photo of her and Nathan taken from the parking lot, right after she'd decided that they could take things slow. They were hugging, and the caption said, "Nathan Scott's new charity case? Photo taken by an anonymous tipster." But the comments were even worse:

 _ **Ewww, why would he want to be with that fat cow?**_

 _ **Did she raid her grandma's closet?**_

 _ **I've hooked up with Nathan a few times at parties. He isn't a saint, that's for sure. Probably just another conquest.**_

 _ **Definitely doesn't look like she'll be giving up her V card to him anytime soon. lol**_

 _ **What kind of bet is Nathan trying to win with this one?**_

 _ **Wow, I was a Nathan Scott fan. Not anymore.**_

"My friend Heather from Econ sent it to me," Brooke shook her head, tears forming in her eyes, as well as Haley's, "She knows that we're roommates. I'm sorry, Haley. I can report it, but it might not get taken down right away."

"It already has a thousand likes, Brooke," Haley solemnly said, handing her back her phone, "And that page has almost 10,000 followers. The whole campus is going to see that."

A while later, Lucas and Brooke had taken Emma to go grocery shopping. Haley sat on the couch, trying to write up a sample lesson plan for her practicum class, but getting nowhere. She reached out for her phone, pulling the Instagram page up again. The likes were up to 2000 now, and the comments were getting even worse than before. A knock at the door made her snap out of it. She opened it to find Nathan on the other side.

"Brooke said you'd be here," he said, his hands shoved nervously in his pockets, "Are you okay?"

She knew she'd said she wanted to take things slow, but right now, she just really needed to feel his strong arms around her. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she shook her head. She melted into his arms, the tears falling quickly.

"I'm so sorry, Hales," he whispered, placing a kiss to her head, "This is all my fault."

"You're not the one who wrote those nasty things," Haley choked, "What they're saying about me, and even you, it's…it's awful."

"I know," Nathan replied, "I'll take care of it, I promise."

"How?" Haley exclaimed, unwrapping herself from his embrace and pacing the living room, "It's an anonymous page. God knows who created it. It's not like you can just waltz through the internet and find them. Ugh, maybe…maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"Haley, don't say that," Nathan stepped towards her, hesitantly taking her hand, "People do this because, they don't have anything better to do with their lives, alright? Why should we let them mess with ours? I don't care what they say. I don't care what other people think. I like you and I want to see where this can go."

"Okay," Haley said quietly, as he pulled her in for another hug.

* * *

"Mouth, you're good with computer stuff, right?" Nathan asked later, as he found Mouth, one of the team's managers, in the library.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," he replied.

"Good, I need your help with something," Nathan said, "Two things actually."

* * *

"Hey Brooke, have you seen my Duke shirt from Orientation?" Haley called out, searching through her drawers for the only school shirt she owned, that she'd gotten her freshman year.

"You threw it out, remember?" Brooke replied, coming to stand in her doorway, "It was covered in stains from Emma."

"Ugh," Haley flopped herself onto her bed, "This is a huge school spirit thing, and I have nothing to wear!"

They both jumped at the sound of someone knocking on their apartment door. They hadn't been expecting anyone.

Haley opened the door to find a blue-eyed boy with spiky brown hair and a kind smile, holding a blue-wrapped box.

"Can I help you?" Haley asked.

"I'm looking for Haley James," he replied, still smiling.

"That's me," Haley looked confused, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"I'm Mouth McFadden, Duke Men's Basketball team manager," he stated, handing her the box, "Nathan asked me to hand deliver this to you before the game tonight."

"Uh, thanks," Haley said, before shutting the door.

"Well, are you going to open it?" Brooke smiled, eager with anticipation.

Haley opened the box, to find a blue Duke shirt with the number 23 on it, Nathan's number.

"Okay this is adorable," Brooke exclaimed, "You have to let me do your makeup! I found these cute little Duke face tattoos at the bookstore."

* * *

Brooke, Lucas, and Haley felt extremely out of place at Countdown to Craziness. They were surrounded by screaming college students, and the tickets Nathan had given them were right on the front row of the student section. None of them had ever really been to any school function like this before, so they weren't sure what to expect.

All of the sudden, the arena went pitch black, the only light coming from students who held blue lights up all around them. Then, a large spotlight fell on the court.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Countdown to Craziness!" he yelled, as everyone cheered and whistled, "Now, it's time to introduce your Duke Blue Devils!"

The announcer started with the freshmen on the team, who would go out into the middle of the court, a song of their choice playing, as they danced or interacted with students in the crowd until it was the next player's turn.

"And a junior, from Atlanta, Georgia, #12, Nino Jones," the announcer said.

Finally seeing a familiar face, the three friends cheered as Nino did the dab, before moving to the sidelines.

"A junior, from Chattanooga, Tennessee, #3, Antwon "Skills" Taylor!"

Haley laughed as Skills did some break-dancing, before bowing and heading off to join Nino and the rest of the team.

"And a junior, from Tree Hill, North Carolina, last year's MVP and leading scorer, #23, Nathan Scott!" the announcer cheered.

The arena erupted. It was clear that Nathan was the crowd favorite. He jogged out to the center of the court, the spotlight following him. He waved to the crowd, smiling, before running and jumping on top of the barrier that separated the student section from the court, right in front of Haley, Brooke, and Lucas. They cheered, as Nathan's eyes met Haley's. He smirked when he noticed that she was wearing the shirt he'd gotten for her.

* * *

After the game, Haley, Lucas, and Brooke stood on the court, waiting for Nathan to come out of the locker room. His team, Blue, had won 52-37, with Nathan scoring 20 points. The court was packed with people, mainly students and cheerleaders.

"Hey, there he is!" Brooke exclaimed, pointing to Nathan, who had spotted them and was walking over, "Go get your man, Hales!"

"Brooke, he's not my.." Haley began, but stopped as Nathan made it to them, "Hey!"

"Hey yourself," Nathan smiled.

"Good game, Nate," Lucas said, "That layup in the first two minutes, that started a run. Missed a few threes though. You should probably work on that if you want to be strong against UNC. They've got Justin Jackson, and he's solid on the three. But their weakness is in their free throws.

"Thanks man," Nathan nodded, "You really know your stuff."

"He goes to every game he can, and watches the ones he can't be at," Brooke linked her arm through Lucas', "Well, this has been loads of fun, Nate, but we should get going."

"We should?" Lucas looked at her, confused, but Brooke made a face at him, her eyes wide, "Oh, right yeah, um, it was good seeing you Nate."

The two pushed their way through the floor, leaving Haley and Nathan, who were currently on the receiving end of stares from everyone on the court. Nathan could tell how nervous Haley was, seeing everyone's eyes on her, so he reached and intertwined his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand gently.

"Yo, Nate, nice game play'a," Skills smiled, coming over to join them, a blonde cheerleader by his side, "Y'all know Bevin right? Well, we headed to the after party. You guys coming?"

"I don't know man," Nathan shook his head, looking to Haley.

"We can go, if you want," Haley trying to be supportive, not wanting to be that girl that stopped him from hanging out with his friends just because she might be uncomfortable.

Skills and Bevin walked off, headed to the party, as Haley and Nathan still stood, hands intertwined, "We don't have to go, Hales. There's going to be a lot of people there, and…"

"Weren't you the one who was just saying that we shouldn't care what people think?" Haley reminded him, "If we don't go, those people control us. They win."

* * *

A few hours later, Haley and Nathan sat on the couch in her apartment. They'd gone to the party for an hour, hanging out with Skills and Bevin and Nino. They'd been watching a movie when Haley's phone pinged with a notification.

" **DukesDirtyDeets2 has tagged you in a photo."**

"Oh no," Haley sighed, swiping to see what the damage was now. The photo that popped up was of her and Nathan at the party, a red plastic cup in her hand, a smile on her face. The caption read, "Haley James, out partying instead of taking care of her baby."

And comments were already pouring in:

 _ **Wow, Mother of the Year right there.**_

 _ **Just another teen mom, who has a kid and doesn't take care of it.**_

 _ **Maybe she should worry more about her kid than her popularity.**_

She handed Nathan her phone, her hand slightly shaking.

"Dammit," he cursed, his free hand curling into a fist, "I'm sorry, Hales. I thought I took care of it."

"What are you talking about?" Haley questioned.

"I had my friend hack in and delete the account," Nathan explained, "I knew how much it hurt you. I was just trying to protect you."

"Thank you," Haley whispered, reaching to take her phone and set it on the coffee table, her hand taking his, "That was sweet. But obviously, it's not going to stop whoever this is. They've got their target set."

"We could go to the police or something?" Nathan suggested.

"They won't do anything unless someone tries to physically hurt one of us," Haley replied, knowing the laws all too well, "And there aren't any cyberbullying laws in North Carolina."

Nathan sighed, "I just hate not knowing who this is."

"Let's not talk about it anymore," Haley replied, "Let's just be here, right now. You and me."

Nathan turned to smile at her, "Sounds perfect."

* * *

 **So that's Chapter 5! Hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **Any predictions on who is behind Duke's Dirty Deets?**

 **Please review and let me know what you think, and what you'd like to see happen in future chapters!**

 **The next update might not be until mid-week this week. I'll do my best to get it up ASAP!**


	6. Chapter 6

**One month later…November**

Over the past month, Nathan and Haley had spent as much time together as possible. Haley was getting more comfortable around him. Almost anywhere they went, they held hands or his arm was around her. But after a month, she still hadn't been able to kiss him. Sure, she kissed him on the cheek, and he did the same to her, always placing comforting kisses to her forehead as well. But moving any further, it scared her. It made it all seem more real, made her more vulnerable. And she didn't want to get hurt.

"Hey Princess," Nathan smiled as he walked into Haley's apartment, Emma running up to him.

"Nuh, Nuh, Nuh," she babbled, as he swung her up into his arms and spun her around.

"I swear, she's starting to like you more than me," Haley shook her head at the two of them.

"Guess that just means she has good taste," Nathan smirked, "But so does her mom."

"Well, the princess has to take a nap," Haley pointed out, taking Emma from Nathan, "Can you say bye to Nathan?"

"Bye bye," Emma waved, giggling as Nathan waved back.

"I'll be right back," Haley laughed, taking Emma into their room.

She emerged a few moments later, joining Nathan on the couch as he put his arm around her.

"So, are you and Emma headed home for Thanksgiving?" Nathan asked, his free hand toying with her fingers.

"No, we're just staying here," Haley nodded, "Having dinner with Keith, and Karen, and Lucas. Brooke's parents are out of the country, so she's coming too."

Nathan looked at her, "What about your parents?"

Haley took a deep breath. She knew this question would come up eventually, and now was a good a time as any to answer it.

"Um, my parents died, a few years back," Haley answered.

Nathan immediately pulled her in a little bit closer to him, "Hales, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, you didn't know," Haley replied, "They bought an RV, wanted to travel the country after I came to school. It was a freak accident."

"And you don't have any other family?" asked Nathan.

"Well, I'm the youngest of seven," Haley said, which caused Nathan's eyes to widen, "But everyone's doing their own thing, and they're scattered around on opposite coasts. Just makes more sense to stay here. What about you? Tree Hill's, what, a two-hour drive?"

"Yeah, but my parents, well, let's just say we don't see eye to eye about everything," Nathan explained, "Long story."

"Then, you should come with me," Haley suggested, "Karen asked me to invite you, but I figured you'd be going home. There'll be plenty of food, and pretty decent company too."

"Well, I might just have to take you up on that then," Nathan smiled, placing a kiss to her temple.

* * *

 **Thanksgiving**

"Are you guys sure you don't want me to help?" Nathan asked, standing in the kitchen at Keith and Karen's home, where Keith, Karen, Haley, and Brooke were all cooking away.

"Nathan, you almost sliced your finger off cutting carrots," Brooke replied, pointing her own knife towards the living room, "You're on babysitting duty."

Nathan sulked back to the living room, where Lucas was sitting on the couch, watching a football game with Emma perched in his lap. When Nathan entered the room, though, she immediately reached out for him. He scooped her up, sitting with her in the armchair.

Nathan looked at Lucas, "So why are you banished?"

"There was an…incident with the stuffing," Lucas said, "Let's just say, it's better if I stay away from any food you'll be eating."

Nathan laughed, "So, you and Brooke have been together for a while right?"

"Three years," Lucas nodded, peering into the kitchen to make sure everyone was busy before saying, "Nate, you know I like you. I think you're a decent guy, and you're a hell of a basketball player. But I haven't gotten the chance to tell you something."

"What's that?" Nathan appeared nervous.

"Haley and Emma mean the world to me," Lucas replied, "And if you ever do anything to hurt them, you'll have me to deal with. And it won't be pretty. Got it?"

"Message received," Nathan nodded, "Thanks man, but I don't plan on hurting Haley. I really care about her." He looked down at Emma, who looked up at him and smiled, "Both of them."

Lucas lowered his voice even more, "She's been through a lot, Nate. And I know she hasn't told you about a lot of things, but just be patient with her. This past month, I've seen her happier than I have in a long time. Moral of the story: don't screw up Scott."

* * *

"Hey, Karen, how much longer till we eat?" Nathan asked peeping his head into the kitchen, holding Emma.

"About an hour, Nate," Karen laughed, "Why? Getting hungry?"

"I was hoping I could steal Haley away for a little bit," Nathan replied, "I'll have her back before we eat, I promise."

"I'm sure we'll manage," Karen looked slyly between the two of them, as Haley took off her apron, looking a little bit confused.

"Alright man," Nathan said, walking back into the living room, handing Emma to Lucas, "You're on duty."

A few minutes later, Nathan and Haley were driving towards campus. Nathan had one hand on the wheel, the other intertwined with Haley's, resting on the center console.

"Nathan, where are we going?" Haley asked earnestly for the fourth time in the span of five minutes.

"You'll see," he laughed, as he parked in the parking lot of Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"Campus is closed for the holiday, Nate," Haley informed, glaring at him inquisitively.

Nathan held up a set of keys, "Helps to know people then, doesn't it?"

The two hurried up the stairs, making it up to the roof just as the sun was setting.

"It's still an amazing view," Haley looked around, her navy dress blowing with the slight breeze.

"Yeah it is," Nathan agreed, coming up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She brought her hands to rest on his, as the two just stood there, taking in the moment.

She broke the silence by asking, "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because you deserve to have it all," Nathan replied softly, turning her around, his hands still on her waist, "You deserve to have everything you want."

Haley bit her lip, feeling at this moment, like she was on top of the world. Her head was telling her that she could get hurt if she put herself out there, but her heart was telling her that she needed to trust him.

"There is one thing that I want," her voice barely audible at a whisper, her brown eyes gazing into his blues.

"What is it?" Nathan asked.

Taking a deep breath, she stood on her tiptoes and lightly brushed her lips against his.

As they broke apart after a moment, Nathan smiled, "I wanted that too."

Hesitantly, he leaned back in, not wanting to scare her off. Though her walls were screaming at her to push him away, she leaned up to meet his kiss. But, when his mouth met hers, all she could feel was warmth and even though they were already pressed against each other, she wanted desperately to get closer.

One of his hands reached around to cradle the back of her neck while the other stayed at her waist, pulling her closer. She reached up to run one hand through his dark hair while holding onto his shoulder with the other, just as it began to rain.

She pulled away, feeling the water droplets on her face. Looking at him, she said, "We should probably get back."

Nathan looked reluctant, but took her hand and led her to the door, "Alright. I'll kiss you later."

* * *

Arriving back at the house, everyone sat down at the table, the large platters of food in front of them.

"Okay, let's all take hands and say grace," Karen smiled, taking Keith and Lucas' hands in hers, "Dear God, we are so happy to be here together today, to celebrate this day of thanks. We are grateful for this food and please bless the hands that prepared it. We are grateful for new friends who've found our way to us, and we pray that you will help us all to be more grateful every day. Amen."

"Amen," everyone said, before Keith began to carve the turkey, and everyone began passing dishes around.

"Nathan, we have a tradition here, where we go around the table and everyone says something that they're thankful for," Keith explained, "I'll go first. I'm thankful for my beautiful wife who's way out of my league, and for my son, who still thinks I'm kind of cool."

"Just kind of," Lucas laughed.

"I'm grateful that we're all able to be together today," Karen said, "And that we're all healthy and safe and happy."

"Well, I'm thankful for this pretty girl," Lucas smiled at Brooke, "And I'm grateful that she puts up with me, even though I have no idea how she does it."

Brooke sighed, "Well, I'm grateful for new business ventures…and for love."

Everyone turned to Nathan and Haley, the last two to say what they were thankful for.

"Ladies first," Nathan insisted.

"Hmmm, well I'm grateful to have a beautiful daughter. And I'm grateful to all of you for helping me so much this past year," Haley teared up, "I couldn't have done any of this without you."

"Guess that just leaves me," Nathan replied, "Um, well, first off, I'm grateful to be invited here today. You're all so kind and generous, and I'm thankful for that. But, I'm also grateful to have met all of you. It's been great spending time with you all, and you've made me feel like a part of the family, so, thank you."

* * *

"Alright, who's ready for dessert?" Karen asked, standing to head to the kitchen when the doorbell rang.

"Were you expecting anyone else Karen?" Haley asked.

"No," Karen replied, looking confused at who it could be.

"I'll get it," Haley said, excusing herself from the table.

She opened the door to find an older man with dark hair and a woman with blonde hair standing on the front porch.

"We're looking for Nathan," the woman said, a kind smile on her face.

"May I ask who you are?" Haley replied.

"We're his parents," the man cut in, rather roughly, "Now, it's raining, so could you please just let us in?"

Haley hesitated before opening the door, leading the guests to the dining room. Seeing them walk in, Nathan shot up out of his chair.

"Good to see you Keith, Karen," the man called.

"Danny, what are you doing in town?" Keith questioned, not really wanting him to be in his house.

"It's Thanksgiving!" Dan exclaimed, "And when our son told us he wasn't coming home, we had to come figure out why."

Nathan linked his fingers through Haley's, "You should go," he said calmly, though Haley could tell it was taking everything he had to stay that way.

"What, no hug?" Dan replied coldly to his son.

Nathan took a deep breath, gritting his teeth, "I asked you nicely, Dad. Just go, please."

"Nathan," Deb began, before Dan held up his hand, cutting her off.

"No, Deb, it's obvious we made the drive for nothing," Dan interrupted, turning his gaze to Haley, seeing her holding hands with his son.

Just at that moment, Emma began to cry. Haley, knowing that babies were usually good judges of character, knew that she could sense the tension in the room. She released Nathan's hand, still feeling Dan's eyes on her, and scooped Emma up, trying to calm her down.

Dan chuckled to himself, "Oh, so you abandon your family to come play house with some hussy?"

Nathan balled his fists, and Haley could see the anger in his eyes as he approached his father, "Don't you dare talk about her like that. Now get out, before I make you get out."

"What are you going to do son?" Dan taunted, "Hit me? Go ahead. Yeah, I can see that anger boiling inside of you. Let it out Nate, come on."

Nathan's fist moved just slightly, an old reflex, before he remembered that Haley and Emma were watching him. He put his hands up, backing away from his father as he said, "You know what? A while ago, I would have. But I'm not that angry teenager anymore, Dad. I've grown up. And I've realized that you're not worth it."

Dan narrowed his eyes at Nathan, before turning to leave. However, after taking a few steps, he turned back, "Just remember who got you to where you are, Nathan. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me. Let's go Deb."

Deb opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find any words. She simply hugged her son, apologizing quietly, before following Dan out.

"I'm sorry about all that," Nathan apologized to everyone, who were still sitting awkwardly at the table, the pies untouched.

"Seems like Danny hasn't changed much since high school," Keith replied, "But let's not let it ruin these perfectly good pies."

"Are you sure you don't want to come over?" Haley questioned, as she'd walked Nathan out to his car later, "You seem really upset still. Maybe you shouldn't be alone."

Skills and Nino were both out of town, with their families for the holidays, so Nathan had the apartment all to himself.

"Nah, I think I'm just going to go home, clear my head," Nathan replied, "But thank you."

He pulled her in for a quick kiss, pressing his lips to her forehead after savoring her lips.

"I'll call you later, alright?" Nathan said, before getting in his car and driving home.

* * *

Haley lay in bed later that night. Emma was sleeping peacefully in her crib, but sleep was evading her mother. She was worried about Nathan. Seeing him interact with his father today, it was a lot to take in. She knew that if she and Emma hadn't had been there, he probably would have thrown a few punches. She was grateful for his restraint, but she'd never seen him that angry before. For a fleeting moment, she'd feared he was capable of.

She reached for her phone, seeing one notification from about an hour before, reading: **NathanRScott has tagged you in a photo.**

Her jaw dropped. Sure, they'd been with each other basically every day the past month. People had seen them together, and the Dirty Deets page was still active and nasty as ever, but neither of them had posted about the other on their social media, wanting to avoid the hate that could come from any one of Nathan's 250,000 followers.

She swiped right, opening her Instagram to see a photo that Brooke had taken earlier that night, of her and Nathan in front of Karen and Keith's fireplace, arms wrapped around each other, smiles on their faces. The caption read, " _ **This girl makes me happier than I've ever been. How did I get so lucky?"**_

Haley's breath quickened as she set her phone back on the nightstand. She tried to calm herself, but peace failed to come. What was she doing? She'd known him for a little over a month, and she'd told him she'd wanted to take things slow. And then today, she'd basically thrown herself at him. Yes, she'd become comfortable with his touch, no longer flinching or shuddering under it as before. But her whole reason for taking things slow was to protect herself, and Emma. Oh Emma. She'd become attached to Nathan after first meeting him, wanting to be held by him whenever she saw him, screaming in delight whenever he walked into a room. What happened if this didn't work out? She'd be so confused, and Haley worried about how it would affect her.

Her worrying and panic was interrupted by her phone buzzing, this time from a call. Emma stirred in her crib, so Haley crawled out of bed, taking her phone into the living room.

"Sorry I didn't call earlier," she heard Nathan's voice on the other end, sounding different than she'd ever heard it before.

"Is everything okay?" Haley asked, now concerned.

"Not really," Nathan replied, "Would it be alright if I came over? I…you were right. I don't really want to be alone right now."

All that worry and fear that had filled Haley in her recent internal struggle melted when she heard the pain and sadness in his voice, clearly apparent. "Yeah, of course."

Five minutes later, there was a soft knock at the door, "Sorry. I know if I wake up Brooke or Emma, they'll kill me."

"Well, Brooke's at Lucas', so you're safe there," Haley whispered, "But Emma's another story."

He laid down on the couch, Haley sitting by his chest, her hand stroking through his hair.

"I'm sorry you had to meet my parents like that," Nathan apologized, not looking in her in the eye, "Now you see why I didn't want to go home."

"It's okay," Haley assured him.

"No, it's not," Nathan shook his head, "I wanted to….I almost…"

"But you didn't," Haley whispered, reaching to take his hand with hers, "That's how I know you're different. The Nathan Scott I met that first day of tutoring, he wouldn't have hesitated to throw the first punch. But you're not that guy anymore."

"I just couldn't let him talk about you like that," Nathan continued, "When he said that, all I could see was that creep O'Brian's hands all over you. I saw red, and I wanted to…shut him up. Not much of a man, right?"

Haley took a deep breath, "I'm grateful that you're so protective over me…and Emma. But today, you showed that you can be protective without using your fists. That is a true man."

Without hearing the voices in her head, again screaming at her to stop this right now, she moved to lay with him, his arm moving to wrap instinctively around her waist before hesitating, "Hales, I should get home."

"No," Haley whispered, reaching for his arm, wrapping it around her waist and holding his hand to hers, shaking a bit, "I want you to stay."

"I don't want to push you," Nathan insisted, "Slow, remember?"

"Hey, I'm in control, remember?" Haley reminded him, her eyes now lulling with sleep, "This is okay."

As she drifted off to sleep, Nathan placed a kiss to her temple, whispering out loud, "God, I love you."

But she didn't hear him, already fast asleep. And he knew this, which was why he'd been able to say it. He'd felt this way for a while, but hadn't said anything, not wanting to scare her. But it was true. He loved her.

* * *

 **Chapter 6, complete! Let me know what you think, and please review and let me know what you'd like to see happen in future chapters!**

 **Again, thank you for all the support and positive feedback I've been getting from y'all! I really appreciate it!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A few weeks later…**

"Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh, o'er the fields we go, laughing all the way," Haley sang, getting Emma dressed in a red and black plaid dress.

"Ha ha ha," Emma added.

Haley smiled, "Are you excited to go see Santa? Huh? What are you going to ask for for Christmas?"

"Ball," Emma replied, clapping her hands as Haley set her on her hip, carrying her into the living room.

Haley shook her head, laughing, "Well, I'm sure Nathan would like that, wouldn't he?"

She sighed as she thought about Nathan. It had been almost three weeks since she'd seen him. He'd been traveling so much for games. Last week, they had games in New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, and yesterday, they'd beat UNLV in Las Vegas. He was due home tomorrow, but, the time they did have together on the phone and through Skype these past few weeks made Haley smile.

He hadn't stayed the night since Thanksgiving, but she found herself trusting him so much more, even just in this short amount of time. They'd been together for a few months now, and everything just felt right. But the elephant left standing in the room was about Haley's past, and who Emma's biological father was. Nathan hadn't asked about either of those things, and for that, Haley was grateful. But, the other night, when they'd been on the phone, he'd said he wanted to know everything about her. And a part of her wanted to tell him. The question was, when?

* * *

Haley put on Emma's coat, letting her play with some toys in the living room as she finished doing some dishes before they left for the mall. A knock at the door surprised her, a few minutes later. Sighing, knowing who it was. The past few days, Brooke had conveniently forgotten her key. Lucas swore that if her head wasn't attached to her body, she'd forget that too.

"Brooke, if you forget your key one more time, so help me I'll," Haley said, frustrated, opening the door to see that it wasn't Brooke at the door.

"Surprise," Nathan smiled, a bouquet of roses in his hand.

"What are you doing here?" Haley smiled, jumping into his awaiting arms.

"We got an earlier flight back," Nathan explained.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Haley asked, "I would've come to pick you up from the airport."

His voice got lower and softer, "Because I didn't want people to see me do this at the aiport."

He pressed his lips to hers, and it started out as a soft kiss that lingered. But then, it was like something in her switched. The kiss turned deep, as Nathan pulled her close.

Haley pulled away, breathing heavily as she said, "Yeah, I don't think the guys would've appreciated that."

"So, are you going to invite me in?" Nathan smirked.

"No," Haley shook her head, "But I'll take the flowers."

Laughing as she took them from his hand, she raised on her tiptoes to place a kiss to his cheek, shutting the door behind him as he came in.

"Nay, Nay, Nay, Nay," Emma cheered, as she ran over to him. He scooped her up, swinging her around in the air.

"Hey Princess," Nathan smiled, "Look at your pretty dress. Where are you guys headed?"

Haley smiled at the sight of the two of them together. They'd become really close the past few months, "We were just about to go see Santa, actually."

Nathan made a funny face at Emma, who giggled and clapped, "Santa, huh? Mind if I tag along?"

"You don't have practice?" Haley asked hesitantly. She knew basketball had to be his number one priority.

"Coach gave us the rest of the day off," Nathan explained, "I'm all yours."

"Perfect," Haley smiled as she took his hand and the three of them walked out the door.

* * *

Nathan's eyes widened, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

They stood at the end of what seemed like an endless line in the shopping mall, the sounds of kids' screams echoing.

"You volunteered," Haley reminded him, shifting Emma to her other hip. The young girl was starting to get restless. One year olds, Haley had learned, were not patient people.

"Yeah, but Hales, this line is insane," Nathan pointed out, "Emma will never know the difference if we go get a pretzel and head home."

"Nathan!" Haley exclaimed, "I'm pretty sure it's an unwritten rule in the book of parenting that you have to have your kid's picture taken with Santa. Besides, what if she resented me for the rest of her life because I didn't take her to see Santa when she was a baby? Huh?"

"You think too much," Nathan shook his head, chuckling. He reached out to take Emma as she began to fuss, "What's the matter, Princess? Do you not like the long line either?"

"Nathan," Haley sighed, as the line began to move. They took about five steps before stopping again.

"I know what'll cheer you up," Nathan said to Emma, who was still fussing, tears welling in her eyes, as she let out a shrill, short scream, "Save our spot, Hales."

"Nathan, what are you…?" Haley began to ask, before she looked to say Nathan dancing with Emma, making a complete fool of himself, but it was working. The tears were a faded memory, a smile on her face as she giggled.

"Your daughter is beautiful," the woman in front of Haley in line said, turning around.

"Thank you," Haley replied politely.

"The first time waiting for Santa is always the worst," the woman assured her, "This is my fourth year. Patience comes quickly, trust me."

"Thanks for the tip," Haley laughed, watching Nathan and Emma again, "I'm Haley, by the way."

"Jane," the woman introduced herself, "But at least you've got your husband with you. Mine had to work, so I'm flying solo, outnumbered three to one."

"Oh, um, he's not my," Haley stammered, but then, a thought popped into her head, a word that neither of them had used out loud yet. It had just been assumed, "Nathan's my boyfriend."

"Either way, that's the cutest thing I've seen all day," Jane gestured towards Nathan, who had dipped Emma dramatically before spinning around, smiles on both of their faces.

"Thanks," Haley smiled, as Nathan and Emma walked back over to them, both in much better moods, "Jane, this is my boyfriend, Nathan, and my daughter Emma."

Nathan looked at her with a bit of surprise at the use of the word 'boyfriend.' But he liked the sound of it.

He reached out to shake Jane's hand, "Nice to meet you."

"Good with babies and a gentleman?" Jane looked at Haley, "Honey, I don't know where you found this one, but wrap him up! He's a keeper."

* * *

Before they knew it, it was finally Emma's turn. As Haley approached the kind-looking older gentleman in the Santa suit, Emma buried her face in Haley's chest, a small whimper emerging from her lips.

"Oh, little lady, you're a bit shy, aren't you?" he smiled, "Well, what if your mom sat with you? Hmm?"

Haley, rather embarrassed, sat down awkwardly on the man's lap, Emma in hers. Her tears hadn't gone away, and her lip was now quivering. Haley looked to see Nathan, standing off to the side, trying to hide his laughter at the sight of her on Santa's lap. Emma saw him too, immediately reached out for him, "Nay, Nay."

"If I have to do this, then so do you," Haley faked a smile as she spoke.

Nathan hesitated, before a guy shouted from the line, "Dude, just get in the picture. We've been waiting for an hour."

Somehow, the photographer was able to get Emma to smile, and the picture of the three of them with Santa actually looked good when they saw it printed out a few minutes later.

"You owe me a pretzel," Nathan pouted as they walked away, "If anyone on the team sees that photo, I'm dead for sure."

"Awww come on, you've got to admit, it's pretty cute," Haley looked at him knowingly, but his expression didn't change, "Fine, we can go get a pretzel, but stop with the puppy-dog face alright?"

"You can't resist it," Nathan smirked.

"Don't push it Scott," Haley retorted.

They found a table at the food court and sat down, Nathan pretzel in hand, Emma now fast asleep in Haley's lap.

"Um, excuse me?" a woman interrupted them, a young boy about 8 or 9 standing with her, "Sorry to intrude, but my son Zach is a big fan, Mr. Scott. Could we get a picture?"

Haley wasn't surprised. It seemed like people everywhere knew Nathan; he was practically the face of Duke basketball, maybe even college basketball itself.

As the boy walked away, star struck at having a photo with his favorite player, Nathan sat back down to see Haley smiling at him.

"What?" he questioned.

"Nothing," Haley shook her head, "I just didn't know my boyfriend was famous, that's all."

"Boyfriend, huh?" he replied, toying with her free hand on the table.

Haley sighed, looking into his blue eyes, "It's growing on me."

* * *

The next day, Nathan was walking Haley to class, a rare treat. Hand in hand, the two were lost in conversation, until a cheery voice broke their focus on each other.

"Hi Nate," Rachel said, "Good game, in Vegas. I didn't get a chance to talk to you after."

Haley had no idea who this girl was, or why she'd been at Nathan's game, but something about her didn't feel…right.

"Uh, thanks Rachel," Nathan replied, trying to keep walking with Haley, but Rachel stepped in their way, now addressing Haley.

"I don't believe we've met," Rachel smiled, "I'm Rachel."

"Haley," she answered, looking at Nathan, who looked incredibly uncomfortable, "So, how do you two know each other?"

Rachel was quick to reply, "Oh, we go way back. Don't we Nate?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," Nathan said, "Rachel's a cheerleader."

"I've seen every game Nathan's played here," Rachel nodded, "He's pretty impressive."

"Yeah," Haley looked away, rolling her eyes, "Well, I'm going to be late for class, so…"

"It was nice to meet you Haley," Rachel smiled, "I'll see you around, Nate."

As they continued to walk towards her class, Haley's mind was filled with thoughts. They didn't talk about Rachel. She had gotten used to girls flirting with Nathan, even if she was right there next to him. Something about Rachel, though, rubbed her the wrong way. Soon enough, they'd made it to White Hall. Haley gave Nathan a quick kiss before heading in.

* * *

A few days later, Haley waited outside the gym for Nathan's practice to get done. Today was the day, she took a deep breath. She was going to tell him: everything.

He looked surprised to see her, as he walked out the doors, talking to Nino and Skills.

"Hey babe," he wrapped his arm around her waist, "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping I could steal you away for a little while," she asked, looking at Nino and Skills, "If it's okay with you guys?"

The guys laughed, "We'll see you back at the apartment, Nate."

She took his hand, leading him up the stairs and onto the roof, the place that had started out as his hideaway, but had become their spot.

"We always end up here somehow," Nathan smiled, his hands slipping to either side of her waist, "Now all we need is some rain."

Taking another deep breath, she said, "I need to talk to you about something."

Nathan's face took on a look of concern, as she took his hands off her waist, leading him to sit next to her on the large metal heating unit, "Is everything okay?"

"You said before, that you wanted to know everything about me," Haley replied, "And I finally feel like I can tell you about…my past I guess?"

"Hales, you don't have to," Nathan began, but Haley cut him off, squeezing his hand.

"It's not fair to you for me to be so closed off," she continued, "You've been so good to me. You haven't given me a reason to not trust you."

Nathan squeezed her hand in return, "You can tell me anything."

"It was right before winter break freshman year," Haley began, "Brooke and I went to this party off campus. She was talking to some people from her art class, and I found this guy who was in my English class. He was a sophomore, and he seemed nice enough. He offered to get me a drink. I had already had a few but, I thought, what can one more hurt? After a few sips, I started feeling sick. My head was spinning and he offered to take me somewhere to sit down. I was basically out of it. He took me upstairs, into this bedroom, and then I blacked out."

Nathan didn't say a word, so she continued. She knew if she didn't get it all out now, she never would finish.

"I woke up in my dorm. Brooke said that he'd brought me home after he said I got sick from drinking too much," Haley said, tears starting to form, "She'd been half asleep when he'd come, so she didn't notice that my clothes were ripped. That morning, I couldn't remember what had happened. I was sore and my head was pounding. But as the day went on, bits and pieces came back. I told Brooke and we went to campus police. They asked if I'd been drinking that night. If I'd done any drugs. They asked if I had flirted with him at all. They took my statement, said they'd talk to him. Brooke took me to the hospital. They ran a rape kit, and there was evidence of sex, but there was no definitive evidence that he'd raped me. It took campus police all of a week to call me and tell me that he'd been put on academic suspension pending a hearing, for conduct violations. He ended up getting three months of probation and community service for misdemeanor assault because he didn't have a record."

"That's all they did?" Nathan questioned, furious at the thought that all of this had happened to her, with hardly any consequences for the prick who'd done it to her.

"They said that there wasn't enough evidence that I didn't consent," Haley nodded, biting her lip, fighting the tears, "It didn't help that his father was a huge donor to the school. They got everything swept under the rug, but I honestly didn't care. I wanted it to be over, I just wanted to forget anything had ever happened. And then, I found out I was pregnant."

Nathan didn't know what to say. Sure, he'd thought about how Haley had ended up a single mom in college, anyone would. But the thought that someone had taken advantage of her had him seething with anger.

"I never saw him on campus again," Haley explained, "It's a big school, you know. Until the night of that frat party."

 **FLASHBACK**

" _ **Fancy meeting you here," the voice said, as she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.**_

" _ **Get the hell away from me Ian," Haley replied coldly.**_

" _ **You come to this party looking like a slut, you deserve to be treated like one," he said, placing a hand on her waist.**_

" _ **Get off me," Haley warned, but before she could do anything physical, someone beat her to the punch, as Ian was shoved onto the ground, hitting his head on the deck railing.**_

 _ **Haley turned to see Nathan standing over him, "I think you're a little out of your league, O'Brian."**_

" _ **Oh please Scott," Ian stood up, "She was asking for it."**_

 _ **Nathan shook his head, before punching Ian squarely in the jaw, sending him flying over the deck railing, falling a few feet onto the ground.**_

" _ **Are you alright?" Nathan asked, turning to Haley, who was in shock.**_

" _ **Um, no, not really," she said, trying to catch her breath, "I think…I think I should go."**_

 _ **Nathan helped her inside, as a few of O'Brian's buddies ran outside to help him.**_

" _ **Haley, are you okay?" Brooke asked, hurrying over to her friend, Lucas right behind her.**_

" _ **This tool, Ian, wasn't leaving her alone," Nathan shook his head, "I took care of it."**_

 _ **At the mention of the name, both Brooke and Lucas looked at each other and then at Haley. Haley was hardly able to get a word out.**_

 **END FLASHBACK**

* * *

"Ian?" Nathan exclaimed, standing up, pacing over to the side of the building, "Haley, if I would've known then…"

"You would've done something that you'd regret," Haley finished for him, "You protected me, when you didn't even really know me. You could've gotten in serious trouble for hitting him, but you did it anyway. All of this, I've put it behind me now. Telling you, it's just so you can understand why I wanted to go slow with this. Why I've been distant, so hot and cold when it comes to…the physical stuff.

"Hales, I don't care about that," Nathan replied, "I care about you. I can't believe that something like that could have happened to you, and yet you're so strong. I'm sorry that you've had to go through all of this."

"Thank you," Haley responded quietly, "It's just..I know that you've…that you're…experienced or whatever, and…"

"Haley, it's not about sex with me, okay?" Nathan assured her, resting his hands on her waist, the position they'd been in when they'd first gotten up here, "When you're ready, I'll be too."

"Thank you for being such an amazing guy," Haley sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck, looking in to his blue eyes.

"Thank you for telling me," Nathan replied quietly, placing a kiss to her head.

He knew this was a huge step for her, that she was letting him in, past the walls that she'd built up.

Haley sighed, content with being in his arms, feeling his touch around her. She'd done it, she'd told him. Everything seemed perfect in that moment.

* * *

 **But, as everyone should know, if relationships were perfect, they'd be very boring! Watch out for more drama ahead, involving Rachel and Ian!**

 ****Disclaimer: For those of you who might say Haley's rape is unrealistic, things like this happen all the time. It's in the news all the time, especially a lot lately. Campus rape is not a light subject, and I don't take it lightly. The results of what happened to Ian in this story were necessary for the plot. I DO NOT CONDONE RAPE****

 **So there's Chapter 7! I wanted this chapter to have cute fluff, a little bit of drama, and the reveal of Haley's past to Nathan! A lot of you saw it coming, but I wrote it to the best of my ability. I actually listened to a Spotify One Tree Hill song playlist as I wrote this, for inspiration!**

 **Let me know what you think about what's going on in this story, and what you'd like to see happen in future chapters!**

 **Thanks so much for all of the reviews and positive feedback! It means a lot to know that so many people enjoy this story!**


	8. Chapter 8

"I miss you already," Haley smiled, as she talked to Nathan on the phone. He was on the team bus, traveling an hour west to Greensboro for a game. She had planned on going, but it had been a crazy week, with classes and tests and tutoring, so she'd decided to stay home.

"I miss you too baby, but I'll be home before you know it," Nathan replied, "How's Emma?"

Haley yawned, "Crazy as always. Today, she decided to dump her macaroni on her head."

"Sounds like my kind of girl," Nathan said, "So are you just staying in tonight?"

"Yeah, I think Brooke's going to come over, I'm not sure what we'll do," Haley replied.

"Well, with Brooke, you know it won't be a boring night, at least," Nathan laughed, "And hey, you could watch the game on ESPN!"

This time Haley laughed, "I would have no idea what was going on. The only reason I'd watch is to see you."

"All the more reason," Nathan suggested, before the bus pulled into their hotel parking lot, "Hey, Hales, we just got to the hotel. I'll call you later tonight, alright?"

Haley hung up the phone, just as the door to her apartment opened, and Brooke walked in.

"Perfect timing," Haley said.

"So, we live together, and it still feels like I haven't seen you in days," she replied, digging through the freezer to find a pint of ice cream and two spoons, joining Haley on the couch, "What have you been up to?"

"Um, not much," Haley stammered, "I've been tutoring, I'm preparing to start my student teaching after winter break, I got a tattoo, and Emma dumped pasta all over herself today."

"Woah, woah, woah, Tutor Mom," Brooke choked on her ice cream, "Back up. What did you just say?"

"Emma made a pasta mess?" Haley questioned.

"Before that," Brooke narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, right, yeah, I got into the student teaching program," Haley quickly answered, "It starts in January."

"After that," Brooke said knowingly.

Haley sighed, "Okay, you know the other night, when I got home late from my study group? I wasn't actually studying."

"You got a tattoo and didn't tell me?!" Brooke exclaimed, "Well, at least let me see it. Unless it's on your lady business, then keep that for your eyes and Nathan's only."

"Brooke!" Haley threw a pillow at her, standing up, turning around, and pulling up her shirt, to reveal a very small, black, "23" on her lower back.

"You got his number?" Brooke smiled, "Hales, that's…really permanent."

"Lucas got a tattoo to match yours on your guys' first date," Haley pointed out.

"And thank god we're still together," Brooke replied, "We were both drunk, Hales. And I get that you like Nathan, but, why a tattoo?"

"Because…" Haley trailed off, "Because I think I'm in love with him."

That statement make Brooke drop her spoon, "Woah."

"Yeah," Haley leaned back into the couch, "God, Brooke, what am I going to do? I'm so, I hate being away from him, I think about him constantly. I was in the middle of an exam yesterday, and I just totally zoned out thinking about him. Maybe we're not going to be together for the rest of our lives or anything, but right now, I'm in love for the first time, and that's a big deal for me. You know that. And I guess if I look at this tattoo twenty years from now, and it reminds me of how I'm feeling right now…I'll be okay with that."

Brooke looked at her seriously, "Then why didn't you go to the game? You and I both know you had all your homework done and I was going to watch Emma. Why are you hiding out here with me?"

"Because," Haley began, "Because I wanted to remember how things used to be. Everything seemed so much simpler when it was just you and me and Emma and Lucas. And I'm used to being sensible and practical and in control, but right now, I just feel like a complete mess."

Brooke giggled, "You're not a mess, Haley. You're just in love."

"Yeah," Haley replied quietly, "But I'm not sure if he is. And I'm worried that he'll get tired of me not…you know, putting out."

"Has he mentioned sex?" Brooke questioned.

"He said that this wasn't about sex for him, that when I was ready, he'd be ready too," Haley replied quickly, "But I don't know…I haven't been with anyone since…and I don't know if I'm ready. I want to be, I mean, have you seen Nathan? But…I don't know when I will be."

Brooke grabbed her best friend's hand, "Hales, he loves you too. He may not have said it yet, but I see it. When he looks at you, when he holds Emma. I see how much he cares about you, and it's been months. If this really was about sex, he would've been gone a long time ago, don't you think?"

* * *

A few days later, Nathan was back, and sitting on the couch in Haley's apartment after they'd eaten dinner. He was tired from traveling and the games, but had wanted to spend time with Haley and Emma. The latter of whom was playing with the little basketball hoop and ball that Nathan had gotten for her as an early Christmas present.

"That's the only toy she's played with for a week," Haley said, as she finished the dishes in the kitchen.

"I was hoping she'd like it," Nathan smiled, though Haley could see the tiredness evident on his face.

"But now, little girl, it's time for bed," Haley swooped in, scooping up her daughter. As she did, her shirt rose, just enough for Nathan to see the black 23 emblazoned on her lower back. His eyes widened, but as she turned to face him, he tried to act normal.

"Night night," Emma said, blowing him a kiss as Haley took her into their room.

* * *

"Well, she's finally asleep," Haley whispered as she closed the door to her room ten minutes later. Nathan sat on the couch, a brainless comedy movie playing on the TV.

He placed a kiss to her forehead as she cuddled in next to him. He was thinking about the ink on her flesh, and she was thinking about the fact that she'd told Brooke she loved Nathan before she told him.

"What's on your mind?" Nathan looked at her, his brow slightly furrowed.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Haley replied coyly.

Nathan sighed, "Hales, I don't want to beat around the bush here. I saw the tattoo."

Her eyes grew and he felt her body stiffen against his, "Look, Nathan, it's not a big deal. I did it on the spur of a moment."

"No, I think it is a big deal," Nathan said, "It's my number. You might as well have gotten my name."

"If you're mad, I get it," Haley nodded, sitting up and moving to the other side of the couch, out of his grasp, "I mean, I'll get your number tattooed above my ass but I'll only let you kiss me. I know it's frustrating and probably not fair to you at all and…"

Nathan looked at her, shaking his head, before kissing her to make her stop talking, "I knew that was the only way to get you to stop rambling. Haley, I'm not mad."

"You're not?" Haley asked hopefully.

"No," Nathan said, his voice getting quieter, "Honestly, I think it's sexy as hell."

Haley blushed, toying with his hand, that was resting on her thigh, "I know that this is a lot to put on you. Ian, and Emma, and all the baggage. I mean, I'm kinda screwed up from all of it. I wouldn't blame you for wanting to…leave."

Nathan tucked her hair behind her ear, holding her face tenderly, "Hey, I'm not going anywhere. These past few months, I've been so happy. You, and Emma, you make me feel…complete. You are the person who's made me look forward to something other than basketball, for once in my life. You're the one I'm in love with."

Haley felt her heart skip a beat when he said that, sending chills down her spine. Nathan had paused, seeing how surprised Haley looked when he said what he'd wanted to say for a while. He kept talking before she could stop him, "Look, Hales, I don't expect you to say it back. I don't want to rush you or pressure you. But I needed you to know how I feel. Just know that I'm in love with you, and I'll be here for you and Emma as long as you want me to be."

Haley, copying Nathan from earlier, kissed him to stop him from talking, her soft lips brushing over his own.

Breaking the kiss, tears brimmed in Haley's eyes as she looked into his, her hand reaching to touch his that was still cupping her face, "Nathan, I..I love you too."

He hadn't expected her to say it back. But she had. A huge smile grew on his face as he captured her lips with his own for a moment, before pulling away, not wanting to overdo it. Haley was the one who leaned back in and brought her lips to his. The kiss started slowly, but Haley felt bolder, knowing that the man she loved had just confessed his love for as well, and ran her tongue along his lips. Getting the hint, Nathan parted his lips and her tongue slipped inside his mouth. Nathan's tongue did the same and brushed against hers. She was now on top of him, her legs straddled around him. A quiet moan escaped from Haley's lips as their kissing became more heated. They eventually pulled apart, Haley resting her forehead against his, breathing heavily.

She was about to apologize for ending things, had opened her mouth to speak, when Nathan quietly placed a kiss to her forehead, "God, I love you. I'm so lucky to love you."

* * *

It was now two days before Christmas, and Nathan had his last home game before winter break. It was in the day, so Haley had decided to bring Emma. So, here they sat, with Brooke and Lucas, and Emma on Haley's lap, as the teams warmed up.

"So, how did things go the other night with Lover Boy?" Brooke leaned over and asked her.

Haley opened her mouth to reply, as she looked out onto the court and locked eyes with Nathan. He smirked and winked at her. She mouthed back, I love you.

"I knew you'd tell him," Brooke replied smugly, leaning back in her seat, "Luke, you owe me pizza."

"You guys bet about this?!" Haley exclaimed, looking to Lucas, who was suddenly very interested in his shoes, running a hand through his hair, "Luke?"

"Sorry Hales," Lucas apologized, raising his hands in surrender, "I just didn't think you'd tell him yet. Things seem to be going kinda fast between you two."

Haley leaned back in her seat, Emma playing with the mini basketball from Nathan in her lap. It had been three months, and honestly, Haley was surprised at the way things were moving too. She never thought she would meet someone, especially someone like Nathan. He made her feel happy and safe and loved. She knew that Lucas was right, things were moving fast, but things just felt right.

Duke won the game, and Haley stood on the court, waiting for Nathan to come out of the locker room, Emma resting on her hip.

"Hi Haley," a cheery voice sounded behind her, and she sighed, rolling her eyes before turning around to come face to face with Rachel.

"Hi Rachel," she faked enthusiasm.

"Is this your daughter?" Rachel asked, gesturing towards Emma, who was looking her over cautiously. She was a very perceptive one year old.

"Yeah, this is Emma," Haley replied hesitantly.

"Well, aren't you just the cutest thing," Rachel smiled at Emma, who began to cry, burying her face in her mother's shoulder.

Rachel forced a smile, "Well, Merry Christmas."

"Thanks," Haley said, before Rachel walked off. Haley turned back towards the locker room doors, smiling when she saw Nathan walk out. Emma immediately stopped crying, squirming to be released by her mother. Haley relented, and Emma ran over to Nathan, who scooped her up, spinning her around.

"There's my princess," he smiled, holding her as Haley walked over, still feeling a little uneasy after her "conversation" with Rachel.

She couldn't help but smile at the sight of Nathan and Emma though, "Good game."

"Thanks babe," he leaned down to kiss her quickly. As their lips touched, Emma screamed, "Mine!"

She wrapped her arms around Nathan's neck, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, he's yours huh?" Haley smirked, taking Nathan's hand as the three began to walk out.

"What can I say, Hales?" Nathan replied, shrugging his shoulders, "The ladies love me!"

She sighed, squeezing his hand, "Especially me."

* * *

Christmas morning, Haley was awakened by the smell of pancakes and bacon. Yawning, she hopped out of bed. She walked over to Emma's crib and panicked slightly when she discovered it was empty. Suddenly questioning things, she walked out to the kitchen, letting out a sigh of relief when she saw Emma sitting in her high chair, munching away on a strip of bacon. She was surprised to see Nathan cooking pancakes on the stove, while Brooke and Lucas sat at the table, eating.

"Good morning," she said sleepily, seeing that it was 7:30 am.

"Merry Christmas Sleeping Beauty," Brooke replied, taking a sip of her coffee, "Nate here is a keeper Hales. This is the best food I've eaten all semester."

Haley walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "Yeah, he's alright."

"Woah, anymore talk like that, and you don't get anything," Nathan smiled, turning to kiss her, "Merry Christmas Hales."

After everyone ate, they sat around on the floor by the tree. They took turns helping Emma open her presents, as she had the most under the tree. Brooke had taken it upon herself to make her some custom outfits and spoil her with way too many toys. Lucas had gotten her books, of course. And Nathan had gotten her a Duke shirt to match the one he'd given Haley. Speaking of Haley, she had made Emma a photo album of photos from her first year of life, with all of the important people in her life: her mom, Brooke, Lucas, Karen, Keith, and she had even included a few of Emma and Nathan as well.

Brooke opened her present from Lucas, screaming so loud when she did that Nathan was sure people on the other side of town heard her. "Tickets to Fashion Week?! Are you kidding me? Broody, how did you get these?"

"Well, Pretty Girl, Keith works on a guy's car, and that guy's brother's stepdaughter is a designer there. He pulled a few strings and got me the tickets," Lucas smiled, "The day after finals, we are headed to New York!"

She smiled, kissing him and leaning into his embrace, "Top that Nate."

Nathan laughed, pulling a package out from under the tree and handing it to Haley.

She opened it to reveal a framed photo of her, Nathan, and Emma after one of his games. Brooke had taken the picture, and it was one of Haley's favorites. She'd been meaning to get it printed, but hadn't had the time.

"This is perfect," Haley smiled, leaning over to kiss him quickly before grabbing her present to him from under the tree.

He opened it to reveal a watch, "Thanks Hales."

"Maybe now you'll be on time Nathan," Lucas joked, receiving a light punch in the arm from Nathan.

"Oh crap!" Brooke exclaimed, jumping up and grabbing Lucas' arm, pulling him up with her, "We told Keith and Karen we'd be there by 9 and it's almost 9:30! We'll see you lovebirds later. Merry Christmas!"

They rushed out the door, leaving Nathan, Haley, and Emma sitting on the living room floor, surrounded by a mountain of wrapping paper shreds.

Haley sighed, starting to gather the paper up before Nathan's hand touched her arm, "The picture is great and all, Hales, but that wasn't your actual present."

"What?" Haley questioned, looking confused as he pulled out a medium-sized square box from behind him, handing it to her.

She opened the box, gasping when she saw what lay inside: a beautiful necklace with a heart-shaped diamond, "Nathan, how did you..?"

"Don't worry about that," he smiled, taking it out of the box and putting it on her.

"It's really beautiful," she looked down, admiring it.

"No, you're beautiful," he replied, gazing into her eyes, "This is just something to remind you that…I love you. Always."

Haley looked at him, her heart feeling so full with love, "And forever."

"Always and forever," Nathan repeated, "I like the sound of that."

"Me too," Haley said, as he put his arm around her.

* * *

"Usually when we come up here, we have some serious talks," Haley pointed out, as the two stood on the roof of the arena. Keith and Karen had insisted on having Emma sleep over, so she could play with all the new toys they'd gotten her, and Haley being Haley, she couldn't say no.

"Well, today's not entirely different," Nathan sighed, his hands in his pockets as he walked towards the edge of the roof, leaning against the side, "You're still graduating early, right?"

"Yeah, in May, why?" Haley questioned. They'd briefly talked about it, but hadn't delved too deep into their plans after college. It seemed like an eternity away, even though it was only four months away.

"I met with an agent," Nathan stated, rather bluntly.

"Wow," Haley replied. She knew that Nathan was serious about wanting a basketball career, but like he'd said, less than 1% of college athletes make it to the pros. Even with knowing hardly anything about basketball, she knew he was good enough, but the odds were against him, "When?"

"About a week ago?" Nathan said, "I know I should've told you, I just didn't want you to get your hopes up. But it was probably because I didn't want to get my hopes up. He thinks I have a really good shot at being drafted."

"Nathan, that's great," Haley smiled. She was proud of him. He'd worked so hard for this, his whole life, she knew.

"He thinks I'll have the best shot if I declare myself eligible at the end of this season," Nathan replied.

"That's soon," Haley sighed, walking to stand over next to him, "What would that mean, though?"

"The NCAA only allows you to do one draft in college," Nathan explained, "I could pull out of it before, and still be able to play college ball another year, but if I go into this draft, I could either get drafted, or not, and my career might be over. I could've wasted a year of college eligibility for nothing. So, I don't know what to do."

Haley took his hand in her own, "I can't tell you what to do, but I'll support you no matter what you decide to do. This agent, he knows what he's talking about?"

"Thanks Hales," he smiled, kissing the top of her head, "This guy, his name is Clay Evans. He's young, just graduated a few years ago, but he works with a good agency, and he says he's been following me since high school."

"I think you should do what you think is best," Haley said, "If you decide to do the draft, whether you get drafted or not, I'll still love you. It'll all work out the way it needs to."

Haley sat at home later that night, worried about Nathan and the stress he was under. She knew that part of him wanted to do the draft, because she wasn't going to be in school anymore and she had no idea where she would get a teaching job. But she also knew that he was scared that if he did the draft and didn't get chosen, his life would be over, the dream he'd had since childhood would be gone.

She was cleaning up the living room when she got a notification on her phone, seeing that DukesDirtyDeets2 had tagged her in another photo. She had been ignoring these notifications lately, but for some reason, she opened Instagram, eyes widening when she saw what they had posted.

It was a collage of photos of Nathan making out with a bra-clad Rachel. The caption read, " _ **Nathan Scott is NOT the perfect boyfriend. Sorry to break the bad news to you HaleyJames**_

* * *

 **So that's Chapter 8! Hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **Let me know what you thought, and what you would like to see happen in future chapters!**


	9. Chapter 9

"Hales, I've been here for twenty minutes and you haven't said a word," Nathan sighed, nervously watching his girlfriend as she scrubbed the dishes in silence the next morning.

She finally looked up from what she was doing, "What do you want me to say, Nathan?"

"Well, I think we should talk about this," he replied, "What are you…thinking? I…"

"Why didn't you tell me about Rachel?" Haley cut in, throwing her rag in the sink and bracing her hands on the counter, "Really, I mean, did you just wanna like, not ruin the surprise of me seeing it on Instagram, along with thousands of other people?"

Nathan shook his head, "No, I didn't tell you because it didn't mean anything to me."

"If it didn't mean anything then why did you take pictures? I saw them…all of them, unfortunately, and you can clearly tell that you're taking them," Haley rolled her eyes, "I can't understand that, I just..I can't."

"Hales, I forgot those photos even existed. I deleted them off my phone. Honestly, I was so drunk that night, I didn't even remember any of that happening," Nathan attempted to explain.

"Oh, and that's supposed to make me feel better?" Haley retorted.

Nathan stood up from his place on the couch, crossing to the kitchen, getting closer to Haley, "I didn't tell you because it happened before I met you. I didn't think it would do any good to bring up the past."

Haley toyed with the necklace that Nathan had given her for Christmas, "Nathan, I want you to be honest with me…about everything. Past relationships, it's something that I feel like I should get to know about."

"Look, you know that I've been with a lot of girls, and I'm not proud of that," Nathan began, "But all of the flings I've had in the past, they were all about the physical stuff. With you, it's different. It's better."

Haley sighed, pushing past Nathan to start picking up Emma's toys off the floor in the living room, "Nathan, I'm not mad that you've been with a lot of girls. I knew that when I met you. I knew what I was getting into."

"Then why are you mad?" Nathan questioned, starting to get frustrated.

"Because it's Rachel," Haley replied, trying to keep her voice down because Emma was taking a nap.

"Haley, I told you it didn't mean anything," Nathan defended.

"It meant enough to not mention it when I met her," Haley retorted, sitting on the couch, her head in her hands, "You said she was a cheerleader. You forgot to mention that you slept with her….how many times exactly?"

Nathan came to sit next to Haley, "That doesn't matter. But what did you expect me to do that day? Oh, Haley, this is Rachel, and by the way, I hooked up with her at some parties?"

They were interrupted by Emma's quiet wails.

"Do you want me to get her?" Nathan sighed, standing up.

Haley shook her head, "No. I think you should go."

"Haley, it doesn't have to be like this," Nathan insisted, "I'm sorry, I am. People will stop talking about. It'll be yesterday's news sooner than you think."

"I just need some time to think, okay? Can you give me that?" Haley asked, running a hand through her hair as she stood in the hall outside her room, looking at him.

* * *

Nathan sat at Karen's Café two days later, his plate of food basically untouched. He kept checking his phone, hoping to see some sort of contact from Haley, but she was remaining silent.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice asked, and Nathan looked up to see Brooke standing above him, a weak smile on her face.

She took the seat across from him, reaching over to snag a couple of fries from his plate.

"How are they?" he asked, worried about Haley and Emma.

"They're alright," Brooke replied, "They miss you, both of them."

Nathan took a deep breath, "How was I supposed to tell Haley that I'd been with this girl that she was just meeting for the first time? Did she really expect me to do that?"

Brooke shook her head, "No. She's just scared, Nate, and intimidated. In her mind, Rachel is this beautiful cheerleader who's with you all the time, travels with you to games, and you two clearly have a past. She's insecure. Everything with Ian really messed with her head."

"She doesn't have anything to worry about, though, I'm not going to leave her," Nathan assured, "I tried to tell her that it didn't mean anything, that I was drunk and stupid, but she wouldn't hear me out."

Brooke looked down and then back up at Nathan, "Have you read the comments on that last post?"

Nathan shook his head, and Brooke got out her phone and handed it to him.

 _ **I was at that party! Nathan and Rachel were ALL OVER each other. Not the first time either.**_

 _ **How has that guy NOT gotten someone pregnant by now?**_

 _ **That Haley girl should be worried. Scott's cheated before.**_

"She loves you, Nate," Brooke explained, "And she's let you in, more than anyone before, but she's still guarded. She doesn't want to get hurt. This account, being the laughing stock of campus, it's really hurting her. She's tried to be strong, through all of this, but at some point, enough is enough."

"I need to find out who's behind this page," Nathan said, "Once and for all."

* * *

It had been two days since Haley had spoken to Nathan, and she felt awful. She knew that he was sorry and that he regretted his past, but the fact that he'd been with Rachel really got to her, mostly because Rachel was the complete opposite of Haley herself: popular, confident…experienced.

So, here she sat, on the bench in the park where Nathan had first met Emma, phone in hand. She'd dialed Nathan's number more times than she could count, but hadn't been able to actually call him.

"Haley!" she heard a voice call out, and when she looked up, she wasn't happy with who she saw: Rachel.

"Look, Rachel, I don't really want to talk to you right now," Haley said.

"I was getting some coffee at the cart over there and saw you," Rachel explained, holding out a coffee cup to her, "Latte?"

Haley eyed her suspiciously, taking the cup and sipping slowly, "Thanks."

"So, anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about all of this Instagram mess," Rachel apologized, "But, I've gained sooo many new followers. So it's not all bad news."

Haley rolled her eyes, "Well, I'm so glad I could help you out, Rachel."

"Haley, Nathan and I haven't done anything in a few months, so he hasn't cheated on you," Rachel continued, "But I've known him a lot longer than you have. He gets bored easily. Once he's done playing happy family with you, he'll find someone else."

Haley glared at her, "I don't think you know what you're talking about."

"But I do," Rachel insisted, "Nathan and I were basically sleeping together for months, until you came along, and then he dropped me cold turkey. Who's to say the same thing won't happen to you? I don't want you to get hurt, Haley, you seem like a nice girl."

"No offense, Rachel, but I think you'll understand why I'm not so eager to believe you," Haley said, standing to leave.

"If you ever want to talk Haley, here's my number," Rachel held out a piece of paper.

* * *

After having to hear what Rachel had to say, Haley found herself driving to Nathan's apartment. Knowing that she was still insecure, but also knowing that she needed to see him. She hesitantly knocked on the door, with Nino answering a few moments later.

"Hey Haley," he smiled.

"Can I talk to him, please?" she asked.

"Come in, I'll go get him," Nino offered, opening the door for her. She stood nervously in the living room, as Nino went back to Nathan's room.

"Who's at the door, man?" Nathan asked, as he lay on his bed, shooting a basketball into the air, catching it, and then repeating the process. He did this whenever he was nervous or had something on his mind.

"Your girl," Nino leaned against the doorframe.

"What?!" Nathan shot straight up off his bed, "Are you serious?"

"Dude, would I mess with you about that?" Nino asked.

"You did, twice, yesterday," Nathan pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm for real this time," Nino answered.

Nathan ran a hand through his hair, as he followed Nino back out to the living room. He saw Haley pacing, biting her lip. God, she was beautiful even with the worried look on her face, he thought.

"I'm going to go…" Nino began, "Anywhere but here. Bye."

This left Nathan and Haley in the apartment, alone.

* * *

"So…um," Haley stammered, and Nathan could see the tears brimming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," they both ended up saying at the same time, which Nathan noticed made Haley crack a small smile.

"Hales, you don't have anything to be sorry for," Nathan assured her, "You had every right to be mad. I should've told you about Rachel, and I didn't, and that was wrong."

"I overreacted," Haley replied, "I panicked and….it's just hard, knowing that you've been with her and she's with you all the time on the road for games and…I know that you wouldn't do anything but, it doesn't change the fact that…she's everything that I'm not."

Nathan took a step forward, taking her hand with one of his, and using the other to raise her chin up, so she was looking in his eyes, "Haley, you are amazing. And I know you think that you're screwed up. But I don't see that when I see you. I see someone who's survived a lot of shit and is raising a beautiful little girl who's lucky to have you as a mom. And you know what matters most of all? You are everything. You're my everything. You and Emma mean the world to me, and I don't want lose you."

A tear cascaded down Haley's cheek as she looked up at him, "You don't ever have to worry about that."

Haley finally closed the distance between them, kissing him softly.

The kiss quickly turned more heated, as Haley's arms wrapped around Nathan's neck and his hands tightened their grip on her waist, pulling her flush against him.

As they broke apart, both breathing slightly heavier than they had been before, Nathan said, "You'd think we hadn't seen each other for weeks."

"That's what it felt like," Haley sighed, feeling safe and content in his embrace.

"Look, Hales, I'm sorry that all of this is happening," Nathan said, rather seriously, "I promise I'm going to fix everything."

"How are you going to do that?" Haley asked, pulling herself back a bit so she could look at him.

"I have a plan," Nathan replied, his signature smirk on his face.

* * *

A few days later, Haley sat in her apartment, doing homework, Emma playing with the mini basketball hoop and ball that Nathan had gotten her. Nathan, on the other hand, was at practice and would be coming over afterwards for dinner. Haley checked the time on her phone when she heard a knock at the door. It was too early to be Nathan, and she was surprised at who she saw on the other side of the door.

"Mrs. Scott, what are you doing here?" Haley questioned.

"Hi Haley," Deb said, "Please call me Deb. I'm sorry to barge in, um, I went to Nathan's apartment, but he wasn't there, I assumed he'd be here if he wasn't there."

"Well, he's at practice," Haley answered.

"Of course," Deb nodded.

"How did you know where I lived?" Haley asked.

"Karen," Deb quickly responded, "I told her that I needed to see you."

Haley nodded, as the two experienced a few moments of awkward silence, before Deb broke it, "Would you mind…if I came in? I wanted to talk to you about something."

Haley took a deep breath, before allowing Nathan's mother to come in. Emma turned at the sound of someone coming in. Seeing someone she didn't recognize, she ran to Haley, "Up. Up."

Haley scooped up her daughter in her arms, setting her in her lap as she sat on the couch, Deb taking a seat on the other side of it.

"I just wanted to apologize for Thanksgiving," Deb began, "And I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get here. Dan, he means well, he's just very protective over Nathan and his future."

"Deb, you don't have to explain yourself to me," Haley replied.

"I saw the way Nathan looked at you, that day," Deb continued, "I know that he cares about you. And I know that Dan saw that too. And he's worried that love will get in his way of the NBA."

"And what do you think?" Haley asked.

"I think that I want my son to be happy," Deb smiled, "And I want to be a part of his life."

"I really think you should talk to Nathan," Haley assured her, "He may not talk about you all the time, but he has this framed photo of the three of you at his high school graduation in his apartment. I don't think he'd keep it up if he didn't want you in his life."

"Thank you, Haley," Deb replied, "And, I know it's late, but I brought something for your daughter."

"Emma," Haley filled in her name, as the young girl hesitantly looked at Deb, who held out a pink bag for her.

Haley opened the bag, with Emma on her lap, to reveal several cute outfits from a baby boutique that she wouldn't even be able to afford a pair of socks at.

"I guessed on the sizes, but, Merry Late Christmas," Deb smiled.

"Can you say thank you Emma?" Haley looked at her daughter, who looked up at her and then at Deb, a small smile creeping onto her face.

"Fay oo," Emma said quietly, before shying back into her mother's embrace.

"You're welcome," Deb replied, "Haley, you know, I really hope that you and Nathan can come down to Tree Hill, maybe for a weekend? Dan really isn't as bad as he seems, and I'd like it if we could all just start over."

"I'll talk to Nathan about it," Haley said, as Emma squirmed off her mother's lap to go back to playing with her basketball hoop.

"You know, I got pregnant with Nathan when I was 18, a freshman in college," Deb stated, "Dan and I had been seeing each other for a month or two when it happened."

Haley's jaw dropped. She knew that Deb was young to have a son Nathan's age, but... "Wow, I had no idea."

"He did the right thing, by marrying me," Deb continued, "But right after Nathan turned 2, he blew out his knee in a game, blew his shot at the NBA. I think that's why he's always been so hard on Nate. Too hard, sometimes."

"He's playing really well," said Haley, "I don't see how he can't make it to the pros."

"I used to think that if he didn't make it, his life would be over," Deb solemnly said, "But either way, I think he'll be just fine."

* * *

Nathan hadn't originally been too happy to hear that his mother had come to see Haley, but he'd met with her and talked to her, and had agreed that, when he some time, that they would come to Tree Hill for a weekend.

Now, he sat in Mouth's apartment, that he shared with two of his friends Junk and Fergie.

"Is it done yet Mouth?" Nathan asked, pacing back and forth.

Haley put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.

"Nate, I'm trying, my wifi just sucks," Mouth insisted, "It's almost done."

"So what exactly are you doing?" Haley asked, looking at Mouth's three computer screens.

"I'm tracing the phone that created the Instagram page," Mouth explained, "Once I do that, I can track the phone's location, and we'll find out who's behind it all."

"How did you get rid of it the first time?" Brooke asked, as she sat on the couch, Lucas next to her. Everyone had come to find out who was behind the DukesDirtyDeets2 page.

"I hacked into the account and shut it down," Mouth replied, "But that obviously didn't work. We need to go straight to the source this time."

The computer dinged, the message **"TRACE COMPLETED"** flashing on the screen in green.

"Alright, so I've got the phone number," Mouth said, "And now to trace the signal…"

Mouth typed a few things and clicked the mouse a few times, before a red flashing dot appeared on the map on the screen.

"413 N Greenview Drive," he answered finally.

"That's The Willows," Lucas said, "That snooty apartment complex on the other side of campus."

"But there's like 100 apartments there," Brooke sighed, "Can't we narrow it down any more than that?"

"We don't need to do that," Haley stated coldly, her eyes slightly widened at the sight of both the location of the phone, and the number itself on the screen, "I know who it is."

* * *

 **Sorry everyone that it took me a while to get an update out! I'm a bridesmaid in my best friend's wedding, so I've been helping get everything ready for it and I'm planning her bridal shower, so I've been crazy busy with that, and working 40 hours a week!**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please review and let me know what you thought and what you'd like to see happen in future chapters!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright, I know I hate when authors on this site give lengthy excuses for why they haven't updated their stories in a long time. And yet, here I am, being one of those people. I AM SOOOOO sorry for the long period between updates. Honestly, there were a lot of factors that played into my not writing. 1) I work 40+ hours a week and hardly get any down time. 2) I just got finished with school, but it's kept me busy the past few months. 3) I moved into a new apartment, and had to deal with all the stress involved with that. And the list can go on and on.**

 **But I want to sincerely thank those who have stuck with this story. And a special thank you to those who reviewed while I was on temporary hiatus: Linstead901, LUKELORE, Mbrooks1, and Guest. You've given me the motivation to return to writing, and I hope to be back to regular updates ASAP!**

* * *

 **Previously in Break Down My Walls…**

" _ **Is it done yet Mouth?" Nathan asked, pacing back and forth.**_

 _ **Haley put her hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.**_

" _ **Nate, I'm trying, my wifi just sucks," Mouth insisted, "It's almost done."**_

" _ **So what exactly are you doing?" Haley asked, looking at Mouth's three computer screens.**_

" _ **I'm tracing the phone that created the Instagram page," Mouth explained, "Once I do that, I can track the phone's location, and we'll find out who's behind it all."**_

" _ **How did you get rid of it the first time?" Brooke asked, as she sat on the couch, Lucas next to her. Everyone had come to find out who was behind the DukesDirtyDeets2 page.**_

" _ **I hacked into the account and shut it down," Mouth replied, "But that obviously didn't work. We need to go straight to the source this time."**_

 _ **The computer dinged, the message "TRACE COMPLETED" flashing on the screen in green.**_

" _ **Alright, so I've got the phone number," Mouth said, "And now to trace the signal…"**_

 _ **Mouth typed a few things and clicked the mouse a few times, before a red flashing dot appeared on the map on the screen.**_

" _ **413 N Greenview Drive," he answered finally.**_

" _ **That's The Willows," Lucas said, "That snooty apartment complex on the other side of campus."**_

" _ **But there's like 100 apartments there," Brooke sighed, "Can't we narrow it down any more than that?"**_

" _ **We don't need to do that," Haley stated coldly, her eyes slightly widened at the sight of both the location of the phone, and the number itself on the screen, "I know who it is."**_

* * *

"Maybe I should go in with you," Nathan said, as they sat outside the apartment complex in his car.

"Give me five minutes," Haley replied, "Nathan, this is something that I have to do myself. I hope you can understand that."

Nathan nodded, and Haley got out of the car, walking to Apartment 3, knocking on the door.

It wasn't but a few minutes later that an all-too-familiar face answered the door.

"Haley," Rachel sighed, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You're a bitch, you know that right?" Haley began, "Trying to be nice, offering me advice, all the while, you're the one who's been posting lies and gossip about Nathan and me all over Instagram."

Rachel smirked, "Took you long enough to figure out it was me."

"Not even an ounce of remorse, really?" Haley smiled in disbelief, "You know what, I actually feel sorry for you, Rachel. You are obviously so insecure that you think you have to drag other people down to get yourself higher. That's really sad."

"Oh please," Rachel rolled her eyes, "I'm more popular than you'll ever dream of being, Haley. And besides, everything I've posted is true. You're Nathan's newest charity case, you ditched your baby for a party, Nathan and I have had the most amazing sex…"

Haley couldn't take it anymore, releasing her frustration by bitch-slapping Rachel with the back of her hand.

She suddenly felt a pair of arms circle around her, pulling her back. She turned to see Nathan, a shocked look on his face at the sight of his usually calm and level-headed girlfriend losing it.

Rachel held her face, her expression matching Nathan's. She hadn't expected the pixie to hit her.

"Is that it?" Rachel asked coldly, "You just came here to yell and hit me? You're not going to ask me to take the page down and apologize?"

"No," Haley shook her head, her hand intertwining with Nathan's as she took a breath, calming herself down, "Because I know that me asking you won't change anything. What you've done has really hurt me, and normally, I would turn the other cheek, be the bigger person. But you questioned my ability to be a mother and that's not okay with me. My daughter is the most important thing in my life. You have no right to judge me, because you don't know what I've been through, just like I don't know what you've been through. So, I'm sorry for calling you a bitch. And I meant what I said before, about feeling sorry for you. That's genuine. And now, this is me, walking away, hoping you'll do the right thing."

* * *

As they stood in the kitchen of Haley's apartment a little while later, Nathan kissed the top of Haley's head. "My girl was kind of sexy today."

"Sexy? How was that sexy?" She laughed, her head resting against his chest.

"Watching you take charge like that and stand up for Emma. It was sexy, Hales," Nathan replied, his fingers brushing up and down her arm, giving her goosebumps.

"Well, I think it's nice that you think I'm sexy. Really nice." She was blushing and hoped he didn't notice.

As she turned to look at him, his eyes were fixed intently on her, "Always and forever."

Looking at him, she knew how much she loved him. She had never thought she would find anyone who made her feel this way: loved, and important, and special.

"I love you," Haley, said in a whisper, her eyes never leaving his.

Before he could respond, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. She curved her arm around his neck, bringing him closer to her. Nathan reached for the hem of her t-shirt, running his finger of the exposed skin there, where his number was emblazoned on her skin. He felt her shiver under his touch, but her lips never left his, as she intensified the kiss.

These past few months, their physical relationship had heated up, going from holding hands, to brief kisses, to now full-on make out sessions. She wanted to be with him, to give herself to him, she knew that she did. But she wasn't ready. She trusted him, with all of her heart she trusted him, but there was something holding her back from going all the way. Still, her boyfriend was pretty damn hot, and she couldn't resist him.

Nathan then took Haley by the waist, lifting her onto the counter. She wrapped her legs and arms around him and pressed her lips to his, wanting to be as close to him as possible. All too soon, though, Nathan pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, breathing slightly heavy.

"We should stop," he sighed, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he stepped away, going to sit on the couch.

Haley ran a hand through her hair, following behind him, "Nathan, I'm sorry. I know I'm driving you crazy, making you wait. I know it's not fair to you."

"No," Nathan began, but Haley continued, "Well, what do you think?"

Nathan reached to take her small hands in his larger ones. She loved the feeling of his strong hands in hers, "I think that you're my girlfriend, and I'd wait forever for you. I love you."

"I know that you love me," Haley sighed, looking at him, "But…"

"I told you, Hales, it's not about sex alright?" Nathan assured her, pulling her to sit on his lap, "Besides, with you, it will be my first time making love with someone, and that is something I'm looking forward to, whenever it happens."

* * *

 **March**

Here it was, the biggest month for college basketball, a national holiday practically in the United States, especially North Carolina. The Duke student body sat packed in the gym on Selection Sunday, the team seated in chairs below the stands on the court. ESPN was busy setting up their cameras, ready to film the team's reaction to who they would play in the first round. Haley stood in the front row of the crowd of students, Emma settled on her hip, Lucas and Brooke next to her.

"And with the Number 1 seed in the East region, the Blue Devils of Duke University!"

The crowd erupted, and the players stood up, clapping and cheering.

"And they will play the Number 16 seeded Mountaineers from Mount St. Mary's"

"They will play on Thursday, March 17th in Buffalo, NY."

* * *

Though Haley had wanted to go to Nathan's first round game, she was busy with student teaching at a local high school, in addition to tutoring and taking care of Emma, and couldn't make the trip to New York. So, she settled for watching the game at home on the TV, with Keith, Karen, Lucas, Brooke, and Emma, who was happily playing with the ball and hoop Nathan had gotten her.

"He's having a great game, Haley," Keith said at halftime, standing up to get a beer, "15 points in the first half."

Haley smiled. Before Nathan, she had literally known next to nothing about basketball. Sure, she listened, or at least pretended to, when Lucas and Keith rambled on about it, but now, she was glued to the television, watching fervently as the game played out.

One half later, the game was over, an easy win for the Duke Blue Devils, 85-50. Haley sat, rather anxiously, as the post-game interviews proceeded, waiting to see her Nathan's face on the screen. The reporter finished up with Coach K, and turned to Nathan, who was standing next to him, his skin glistening with sweat.

Haley's heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. God, she thought, even after a two-and-a-half-hour game, her boyfriend was seriously hot.

"Nathan, you played a great game. Thirty-two points, eight rebounds, and six assists. You single-handedly led Duke to the second round. How do you feel?"

"Thank you, um, but, I didn't do this alone. My team had a great night. We worked hard, we worked together, and we came out on top. And we'll continue to work together, straight to the title," Nathan replied.

Coach K smiled next to a humble Nathan, as the reporter asked a few questions about some specific plays, before turning to wrap up the interview.

Nathan interjected, "Can I say one more thing?"

The wide-eyed interviewer turned to him, "Uh, of course."

"I just want to say that Mount St. Mary's has a great program. They're strong opponents, and they pushed us all to be better. I know they worked tremendously hard this season, and they deserved to make it into this tournament," Nathan finished, before turning to Coach K, ready to head to the locker room.

Coach K put a hand on Nathan's shoulder as they walked away, "You've come a long way, son. I'm proud of you."

* * *

 **A few hours later….**

"Emma, someone's calling for you," Haley smiled, as a Skype request came up on her phone.

Emma, now 18 months old, had had a sudden burst in her language development. Haley couldn't get her to stop talking now, and one of her favorite things was talking on the phone or Skyping with Nathan. It slightly saddened Haley that her baby was growing up so fast. She was turning into a toddler right before her mother's eyes.

"Nay nay!" Emma smiled as Nathan's face appeared on the screen. The toddler held the phone to where Nathan could only see her eyes.

"Hey princess," Nathan replied, and even from the small portion of the screen that Haley could see from where Emma was holding it, she could see that he looked tired, "I miss you."

"Miss you," Emma said, beginning to walk to the bedroom with Haley's phone.

"Woah there little miss, can I talk to Nathan?" Haley asked, her eyebrows raised.

"No, mine turn Momma," Emma replied, running away, Nathan on the screen in hand.

Twenty minutes, and one slightly teary toddler later, Haley had her phone back. Emma had fallen asleep in her lap, her head laying on her mother's chest.

"You really miss all of this?" Haley laughed quietly, "That tantrum was nothing compared to the one yesterday. If this keeps up, I'm in for it when she's a hormonal teenager."

Nathan laughed, agreeing with her.

"You played great tonight," Haley smiled, "As always."

"Thanks babe," Nathan replied, "I don't know. Everyone is counting on me to get the team to the championship. I just don't want to let anyone down."

"You know, when I was watching your interview earlier, it made me think about when we first met," Haley began, "You were a pompous jack-A-S-S."

Haley spelled out the word, something all the adults in Emma's life tried to do with curse words when she was around. Even now when she was asleep, Haley was afraid she would pick up on it. She was repeating anything and everything anyone said.

"If that was the Nathan Scott from September being interviewed, he would have reveled in the glory and the attention, taking it all for himself and giving no credit to his teammates," she continued, "But you've changed. When that reporter tried to put it all on you, you were so quick to correct him. I don't know what's going to happen in this tournament, but regardless, you're a better man, Nathan Scott. You're one of the best I know, and I love you whether you win or not."

Nathan smiled, "I love you too Hales."

* * *

Two weeks later, Duke had indeed made it to the championship game, playing against Wisconsin in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium. To everyone's surprise, Dan Scott had offered to fly everyone to the game in his private plane. And although Haley was nervous about Emma's first plane ride, there she sat, on a two-hour flight.

"Nervous flier?" Deb asked, as she took the empty seat next to Haley.

"Not really," Haley quickly stammered, "This is the just the second flight I've ever been on, and it's Emma's first one, so….scratch that, I am a little nervous."

Deb smiled, "Just breathe, we'll be in Indy in about fifteen minutes. She's done great through the flight. When Nathan was about her age, we flew to New York to visit my cousin. He screamed the entire time. We tried everything to console him: food, water, a movie, looking out the window. Nothing worked. Everyone on the plane let us get off first, just to get rid of us. I was mortified."

Haley laughed. She and Deb had kept in touch since she'd stopped by the apartment after Christmas. A few weeks back, she'd been cleaning out the attic, and had found a bunch of pictures from when Nathan was little. She sent them all, including the bathtub shots, to Haley, who found them particularly amusing.

"We're excited for the three of you to come visit next week," Deb said.

"We are too," Haley replied, "It'll be nice to get away from school and all the stress for a few days."

"How's your student teaching going?" Deb asked.

"I love it," Haley smiled, "The kids are great, and the teacher I'm working with has been teaching for 25 years. She's teaches in a way I couldn't have learned just from a textbook. The students pay attention and actually seem to like everything I'm doing with them."

"That's great, Haley, really," Deb replied, "I'm glad you've found something you're so passionate about."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are landing at Indianapolis International Airport. Please fasten your seatbelts," the pilot said over the speaker, "Oh, and go Duke!"

* * *

Nathan sat in the locker room, the championship game starting in twenty minutes. The team had finished warming up and returned to the locker room for a pre-game pep talk from Coach K. As they waited for the coach, he fingered the photograph he always carried with him in his gym bag. Brooke had taken it on Valentine's Day, when he'd surprised Haley and Emma with flowers: a bouquet of roses for his girlfriend and a single pink rose for the little girl who'd stolen his heart.

"Alright everyone," the coach said, as Nathan slipped the photo back in his bag, sitting up to listen to his coach, "We made it. We set a goal at the beginning of this season that we would work together and win the NCAA National Championship. And achieving that goal is two twenty-minute halves away, gentlemen."

The guys clapped and cheered, agreeing with the coach, as he raised his hand to quiet them and to continue speaking, "There are five fundamental qualities that make every team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride. I like to think of each as a separate finger on the fist. Any one individually is important. But all of them together are unbeatable."

Coach K looked at Nathan, clenching his fist as he said, "A team is not made up of one person. It should not all be put on one person's shoulders. As a coach, you develop a team to achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone. All of us alone are weaker, by far, than if all of us are together. So, I need you to be together tonight, gentlemen. Can you do that?"

"Yes sir!" the players exclaimed in unison.

Coach K smiled as he said, "Let's go achieve that goal."

* * *

Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, here we are, fifteen seconds left in this championship game. It has been a battle all night between Wisconsin and Duke, taking turns controlling this game, but right now, it's anyone's game. That's right folks, it's all tied up at 60. If Duke can't score in this last possession, then we will be headed into overtime.

Haley's heart ached for Nathan, wanting this win for him so badly. He still hadn't decided if he was going to declare for the draft, or come back and play another year for Duke. If he did choose the NBA draft, this would be his last college basketball game, and she wanted him to go out on a high note.

Skills inbounded the ball to Nino, who swiftly passed the ball to Nathan. Nathan was quickly double teamed, passing the ball back off to Skills. The clock was winding down, ten, nine, eight, and Nathan knew that he had to end this game, now or never.

"Ball, ball!" he called out to Skills.

Skills gave him the ball, and he faked to the left before dribbling to the right, putting up a fade away jumper at the buzzer.

It seemed as though the whole arena went silent, as they watched the ball soar towards the hoop.

* * *

Haley gasped, unable to let the breath back out as she stood, Emma perched on her hip. The ball circled the rim for what seemed like eternity, before it finally graced through the net, making the score 62-60. Duke had won.

The Duke fans erupted in cheers, and despite the urging and warning from the announcer to not rush the floor, soon the court was full of people in blue and white. Haley and Emma were lost in the chaos, not knowing where Nathan was, trying to not get trampled in the process of finding him.

"Hey Tutor Girl!" she heard a familiar voice call out.

She turned to find a smiling Skills behind her, "Congrats Skills!"

"Thanks Haley," he smiled, giving her a hug, "And Baby James, glad you could stay awake for this one!"

"She wouldn't have missed it," Haley replied, "Have you seen the man of the hour?"

"I got you girl," Skills replied, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the crowd, "Yo, part the red sea dudes, precious cargo coming through."

At the center of the now mosh pit stood Nathan, with Keith and Karen, and Lucas and Brooke, all who had been able to plow their way through the crowd.

"Mind if I take this one on a victory lap?" Skills asked, as Emma reached out to him. Over the past months, Skills had developed a soft spot for the young girl, sneaking her candy whenever he thought Haley wasn't looking.

"Skills!" Emma cheered, as he put her on his shoulders and began to jog around, hollering so loud people back home in Tennessee could hear him.

* * *

She locked eyes with Nathan, as his conversation with Keith abruptly stopped, "Haley!" He jogged over to her, picking her up and spinning her around in his arms.

"You did it!" she exclaimed as he finally set her back down.

"No, we did it," he smiled, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Please review and let me know what you thought and what you'd like to see happen in future chapters!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Well y'all, I'm sorry for the long stretch in between chapters! I have been CRAZY busy at work, and by the time I get home, I am dead exhausted. But, it's the 4** **th** **of July, and I had today off as a paid holiday, so I wanted to get this chapter up for you! I hope y'all are still reading and enjoying the story!**

 **And again, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for all the support, reviews, and views on this story! It means more than you know!**

 ****Warning: the last scene in this chapter is a bit steamy, but not serious enough to increase the rating from T to M. I'm not that kind of writer!****

* * *

"This is where your parents live?" Haley couldn't help but let her jaw drop at the sight of the large, lavish brick home. She knew Nathan's parents were well off, that was evident by the whole private plane to the championship thing, but she was still in awe as the three of them stood in the driveway.

Nathan picked up their bags, extending his free hand to take Haley's, "I want to apologize in advance for anything my dad says. I'm hoping winning the championship will be enough of a cushion to keep him…civil."

Haley managed a small smile, squeezing his hand in a reassuring way. Looking down, she admired the slightly gaudy championship ring that adorned his finger. She still couldn't believe that just a week ago, Duke had won the National Championship.

Returning to school after the time away was hard, and Haley knew that Nathan was having an internal struggle with whether he should continue another year at Duke, or declare for the NBA draft. It was the question that all the reporters, well, really anyone and everyone, asked him these days.

This was the one thing that they hadn't ever really talked about: the future. Sure, they said always and forever, but life was rearing its ugly head at them, demanding decisions be made. Haley was set to graduate in a matter of weeks, and teaching job offers were already coming in. It was all happening so fast; they'd only been together, officially, for five months, but it felt like forever, in the best way imaginable.

Haley was snapped out of her thinking by the front door opening.

"You made it!" Deb exclaimed, rushing out to greet them.

"Hey mom," Nathan smiled, releasing Haley's hand to hug her.

"It's good to see you Mrs. Scott," Haley said, as the two women exchanged hugs as well.

"Haley, Mrs. Scott is my mother-in-law," Deb corrected her, "Please call me Deb."

"Hey!" Emma said loudly, wanting to remind everyone of her presence.

"Oh don't you worry, sweetie, I haven't forgotten about you," Deb replied, holding out her arms to the little girl, "Do you want to come see the toys I got for you?"

Emma looked up at her mother, a small smile on her face, looking for reassurance.

"Go with Deb, Em, it's okay," Haley encouraged her, and before she knew it, Deb had scooped Emma up.

"Nathan, you can put Haley and Emma's things in the guest room," she said over her shoulder before heading into the house.

"Ready for the madness?" Nathan asked hesitantly, as they stood on the porch, just outside the doorway.

"Show me your world Nathan Scott," Haley smiled.

* * *

"As you can see, your mother was a little excited about you coming," Dan said to Nathan, as the two men stood in the kitchen, looking into the living room where Haley and Deb were sitting on the floor with Emma. Toys surrounded the toddler, more than she'd ever seen.

"Mrs. Scott, I mean, um, Deb," Haley stammered, "You really didn't have to do all of this. We're only staying for a few days."

Deb sighed, "I may have gone a little overboard, I'm sorry. It's just, it's been so long since I've had a baby around to spoil."

"I don't know how we're going to fit all of these in the car for the drive back," Haley laughed, "But the crib? That's really too much."

Deb nodded, "I wanted Emma to feel comfortable here, both of you. But don't worry, I didn't run out and buy a crib. That was Nathan's when he was a baby. I had Dan pull it out of storage yesterday. I knew it would come in handy someday."

"Thank you," Haley replied, "And I hate to break up the party, but it's someone's N-A-P time. I'm going to go put her down and I'll be right back."

"Mom, are you going to be around for a while?" Nathan asked her a little bit later, "I wanted to take Haley on a tour of the town."

"I will man the baby monitor gladly," Deb smiled, "You two go have fun."

"I don't know…" Haley nervously said. She'd only ever left Emma with Brooke and Lucas, Karen and Keith, or Nathan himself. Sure, his mom seemed nice, but her motherly instincts made her worry about leaving her daughter.

"Hales, she'll be fine," Nathan assured her, "We'll only be gone for an hour or so, I promise."

* * *

"So this is your old stomping ground, huh?" Haley joked, as the two made it to the basketball court on the river, affectionately known by Tree Hill residents as the Rivercourt.

"Yeah, I'd come down here to shoot around, clear my head, escape the wrath of my dad," Nathan explained.

"Was he as bad as he is now?" Haley asked.

"Worse," Nathan replied.

Haley gazed out at the river, "Well, I can see why you chose this place, besides the basketball court, I mean. It's got a hell of a view."

"Yeah it does," Nathan came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and placing a kiss to her temple, "Come on, the tour's not over yet."

Nathan took Haley down to the Riverwalk, which was full of bustling tourists. The two managed to find solace in a lone bench, overlooking the water.

"I always wished I'd grown up in a small town like this," Haley thought out loud, looking onto the water, and then into Nathan's eyes, "What were you like in high school?"

"I don't think you want to know," Nathan grimaced.

"I'm serious," Haley insisted, "I mean, how much worse could you have been than that guy from the beginning of the school year?"

"Uh, let's see…junior year, I stole a school bus and took the team for a joyride," Nathan admitted.

"You did not!" Haley exclaimed, laughing, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Come on, didn't you ever do anything crazy in high school?" Nathan asked.

"If by crazy you mean stay at home on Friday nights and play scrabble with my parents, then yeah, I was totally wild!" Haley replied.

It was only then that she noticed the carvings on the top of the bench. People's initials with a heart, couples' names etched into the wood.

"God, how cheesy can people get?" Haley asked, looking up to see Nathan pulling a pocketknife out, "No, you are seriously not going to carve our initials into the bench, are you?"

"What's your middle initial?" Nathan asked, as he dug the knife into the wood.

"Come on Nathan," Haley sighed, "This is really lame."

He didn't reply, just raised his eyebrows at her. Nathan was not someone to let something go so easily.

"Fine, B," she relented.

Nathan smiled, "See, now was that so hard?"

* * *

"She's a dream, you know," Deb said, as she and Haley made breakfast the next morning, Emma already sitting in her high chair, "Nathan was a terror at this age."

"I can imagine," Haley laughed, flipping the pancakes on the griddle.

"I know it's hard to imagine, but he was even more stubborn at 2 then he is now," Deb recalled, putting the newly-crisp bacon onto a platter, "Gets it from Dan. Those two are more alike sometimes than they'd like to admit."

"Now that, I can't believe," Haley replied, "Speaking of, where are those guys anyway?"

"Reunion basketball game in the driveway, for old times' sake," Deb explained, "Once they smell the food, it'll be like a stampede, trust me."

A silence fell upon the two women, as they continued to prepare breakfast.

Deb broke it after a few minutes, "So, Nathan said that you've gotten teaching offers already. That's amazing."

"A few," Haley replied, "But I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. It's a lot to think about, you know? A lot of things I have to consider."

"The offers…where are they?" Deb asked, looking at Haley cautiously as she set the table.

"Um, Atlanta, Charleston, and Durham," answered Haley, as she put some sliced bananas on Emma's tray to hold her off before breakfast.

Deb smiled, "Durham? At the school, you did your student teaching?"

Haley nodded, "Yeah. The English teacher I worked with is moving to California, so Principal Hanigan offered me the job first."

"Well, I'm sure you'll make the right decision," Deb assured her, forcing a small smile.

"What do you think I should…" Haley began, before Dan and Nathan came barreling through the door, a scowl on both of their faces.

"Look, Nathan, I just think you'd be smart to call this guy," Dan stated, "He's one of the best agents in the country, and it's not like you have a lot of time to think about it. The draft is in a few months. If you don't get your name in the running soon…"

"Dad, I told you I didn't want to talk about it, alright?" Nathan snapped, "I didn't come here for a lecture."

They both fell silent as they turned to look at their significant others, who were both exchanging nervous glances.

The awkward silence was broken by Emma, who cried out, "Food! Yum!"

"Uh, we should eat," Haley said, taking the rest of the food to the table, as they all sat down, trying to pretend like the last few minutes hadn't happened.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Haley asked later, as she and Nathan sat at the beach with Emma. The little girl was currently sound asleep, curled up in Nathan's lap.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Nathan replied, his fingers of his left hand playing with the sand, "Why?"

"Because this is the first time you've seen me in a bikini and you haven't made one inappropriate comment," Haley raised her eyebrow.

He shook his head, "I'm sorry, babe, you look great. I just, have a lot on my mind."

Haley pursed her lips and sighed, "Is this about what Dan was saying earlier?"

"Can't get anything past you, can I?" Nathan smirked, his eyes finally meeting hers.

"No, now talk to me," Haley pleaded, "What's going on in that sexy head of yours?"

He smiled before taking a deep breath.

"It's just….I'm coming off of this emotional high, you know? Winning the national championship? And now, I've got reporters calling, asking what I'm doing next year, and I can't even count how many agents have contacted me, and Dan too, apparently. And the draft is in June…I don't have much time to think as I thought I did," Nathan explained.

"We're finally addressing the elephant in the room," Haley forced a small smile, "What do you want to do, Nathan?"

The look in Nathan's eyes softened as he looked at her, taking his hand that wasn't wrapped around Emma and entwining it with hers, "That is one of the million reasons why I love you, Haley James. You are the first person who's asked me that."

"I love you too Nathan Scott," Haley replied, squeezing his hand, "But you are going to have to make a decision eventually. My parents, whenever they had a big decision to make, they would make a pros and cons list. You could try that."

"You think of everything," Nathan laughed, as Haley pulled out a notebook and a pen, "And you're always prepared."

"It's the teacher in me," Haley replied, "So, pros of the draft?"

"Well, if I get drafted, the pay is really good," Nathan began, "And I'd have my dream. I've wanted to play in the NBA since I was a kid. How many people can say that they get paid to do what they love?"

"Alright, and cons?" Haley asked.

"I could declare myself eligible, get an agent, and then not get drafted," he continued, "And if that happens, I would most likely go to play in Europe, which is a good opportunity, but I'd be away from family and friends…and you and Emma."

Haley put down her pen, sighing, turning to him, "Nathan, I….I don't want…god, how do I say this? Um, I don't want you basing your decision on us."

"Why not?" Nathan retorted, careful to keep his voice down for fear of waking Emma, "You're a part of my life, a big part."

"And I love you for that," Haley replied, "But, I can't be the one to hold you back from following your dream, whatever it is. You should make this decision for you. Not for me, or Emma, or even Dan. "

Nathan nodded slowly, wanting so badly to fire back, about how all he thought about lately was her and Emma, and what the three of them even were. All of these decisions he had to make, he didn't want to make them alone. He knew that she'd gotten job offers in Atlanta and Charleston. Even if he stayed at Duke, there wasn't a guarantee that they'd be together. But, he held his tongue, biting back the bitter words he so desperately wanted to say. Unlike Dan, he was learning to control his anger.

* * *

That night, after she had put Emma to bed in the makeshift nursery, Haley crawled into the king size bed she was sharing with Nathan in his old room. He was turned over, his back facing her. He'd been quiet ever since the beach, and she knew it was because of what she'd said.

Part of her was still guarded, trying to protect Emma, she told herself, from heartbreak if Nathan was to get drafted somewhere far off. But, deep down, she knew that as much as she was scared for Emma, she was equally scared for herself. She had fallen completely in love with Nathan Scott, something she never thought she would say. She had let almost all of her walls down; he'd earned her trust.

But, after five months, they still hadn't gone all the way. Nathan had been so respectful, letting her set the boundaries, and they'd gotten close, a couple of times. But, although she loved him, and wanted to give herself to him, she found that something was holding her back.

She had so much on her mind. Graduation was fast approaching for her, and in a matter of weeks, she would need to choose where she would be teaching in the fall. Durham was the obvious choice: she had experience with the students and the faculty, and she'd have family to help with Emma when she needed it.

Haley realized though that, even though she didn't want to admit it, she had been waiting to hear Nathan's decision before making her own. She wanted to be with him, but she knew how long distance worked (or didn't). She wasn't so sure she was able to risk it, emotionally anyway. Despite not wanting things to get messy and complicated, that's exactly what they were turning out to be.

After laying in bed for nearly fifteen minutes, sleep was evading Haley James. She'd grown accustomed to falling asleep in Nathan's arms over the last few months, and the lack of his embrace caused her to toss and turn, wanting to reach out to him, place a hand on his shoulder and tell him what she was feeling. Instead, she bit her lip and turned once more, her back now facing his, a single tear running down her cheek.

As if he'd heard the tear fall, she felt the bed move slightly, as Nathan turned over, "Hales?"

She stayed silent, not sure of what to say.

"Hales, I know you're not asleep," he continued.

"How do you know that?" she questioned, not turning over.

"Besides you tossing and turning like the Tasmanian Devil?" Nathan began, "You snore when you're really asleep, baby."

This got her to turn over, not realizing that her face was now inches from his, "I do not."

"It got you to talk to me, didn't it?" Nathan smirked.

She sighed, looking into his blue eyes, trying to hold back tears.

"Look, Hales, I'm sorry about today," he began, before she interrupted.

"Nathan, you don't have anything to be sorry about," Haley insisted.

"Let me finish okay? I know I've been weird, but it's just all this stress with the draft, and then coming home and having to deal with my dad. So I'm sorry for that," Nathan apologized.

Haley managed to whisper, "I love you," before placing a soft kiss on Nathan's lips, and then turning over to finally get some sleep after the long day.

Nathan wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him as he placed a light kiss to her temple, "I love you too. But I'm not going to apologize for thinking about you and Emma while I'm making this decision. You are a huge part of my life now, and I don't want to lose you. Either of you."

"You're not going to lose us," Haley insisted, feeling more secure about the relationship than she ever had before.

Nathan smiled as he tightened his grasp slightly on his beautiful girlfriend, and they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Haley James, where are you taking me?" Nathan asked the next night, their last night in Tree Hill, for the third time.

She simply smiled as she kept driving, until she pulled up in front of a familiar location for Nathan.

"Why are we at my parents' beach house?" he questioned, as they both got out of the car, Haley taking his hand and leading him to the porch.

She held up the key in her hand, "Your parents, well, Deb, thought we could use a night out. It's all ours."

He looked at her curiously. Sure, what guy wouldn't want to spend a night alone with his insanely gorgeous girlfriend? But something seemed different about Haley, and he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Tonight, we are just going to be two college kids in love, okay? No big decisions weighing on us, no pressure. And tomorrow, we can go back to the real world, alright?" Haley propositioned.

* * *

All too soon, they were sitting on the couch, almost done finishing a bottle of wine.

"Are you trying to take advantage of me Miss James?" he asked, still feeling completely alert, but seeing that she was slightly buzzed.

"In every way, Nathan Scott," she smiled, setting her wine glass on the coffee table and pulling him off the couch, leading him to the guest room.

She pushed him onto the bed, and he laughed, not thinking she was serious. His eyes widened though, as her hand reached back for the zipper on her dress, pulling it down, and letting it fall to the floor, leaving her standing in front of him in only a black lace bra and panties.

Before he knew it, she was on top of him, her kisses filled with yearning and passion. She made a sound, low in her throat, that made him want her. He deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth like it was new territory. She shifted her weight, turning into him, so close that her chest and stomach pressed up against his abdomen, so close that he could feel the sharp angles of her ribs, and he felt like he couldn't breathe, God, he couldn't breathe and he didn't care.

Her hands were tangling in his hair, and they were falling into each other instead of Haley pulling apart, like she usually did at this point.

He braced an arm beside her face, leaning to kiss her mouth, and then her neck, and then her collarbone. Her hand abandoned his hair, drifting down lazily to his abdomen, slipping up beneath his shirt to touch his chiseled abs—his breath hitched as she pulled it off. He let her. She went lower still, fingers hooking in his belt, jerking his hips against hers in a way that was all desire and need.

He kissed her hard, his hand running up her stomach; he outlined the edge of her bra. And God, he was horrible—he was horrible because he didn't want to stop, because he wasn't going to, because she wasn't making him, and all he wanted was more, more, more.

He pulled his lips from hers, and looked into her suddenly darker brown eyes, filled with lust, "Hales, are you sure?"

She nodded, pulling his face down to hers, "I love you Nathan Scott, always and forever."

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The end was a little different than the stuff I usually right, but I felt like it was time.**

 **Please review and let me know what you thought and what you'd like to see happen in future chapters!**


	12. Chapter 12

Haley and Nathan lay in bed the next morning, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders, her fingers tracing his chest.

"It's nice being here, together, not a care in the world," Nathan said, "God, I love you."

Haley smiled, snuggling in closer to him.

"What're you thinking Haley James?" he asked.

"Big things," she replied, "Big, important things."

* * *

A few moments of silence passed as the two continued to lay in bed.

"You're going to meet with an agent, aren't you?" Haley asked, looking into his blue eyes.

"How…?" Nathan began, before Haley interjected.

"Nathan, I'm not blind," she said, "I see the way your eyes light up when you talk about the draft and the NBA. It's your dream. And I want you to have it all, everything you've ever wanted."

He took this moment to sit up on his elbow, facing her directly, the look on his face changing, looking more serious.

"You and Emma, Hales, you've given me everything I've ever wanted," Nathan stated, "You've given me a family, one that's not crazy and messed up. You've given me support, enough to follow my dreams. You've helped me feel love, in a way that I didn't think was possible. What did I ever do to deserve that?"

Haley sighed, "You're quite charming, you know that?" she smiled to herself.

Nathan scoffed, "Please, you haven't even seen my A-game yet."

"Oh Lord, help me if that's true," Haley sighed, tracing her boyfriend's chiseled abs.

* * *

"Oh baby girl Mommy missed you!" Haley smiled as Emma jumped into her arms when they got back to the Scott's home."

"Miss you," Emma replied, suddenly squirming and reaching out for Nathan, "Nay Nay."

"Hey Princess," Nathan smiled, as Emma rested her head on his shoulder, "Were you a good girl?"

"She was a perfect angel," Deb said, "We had fun didn't we little miss?"

"Fun Deb!" Emma exclaimed, chewing on her fingers.

"And I'm sure Mommy and Nathan had fun too," Deb smiled suggestively.

"Mom!" Nathan raised his eyebrows at her, "Young ears here!"

"Oh, she doesn't know what we're talking about," Deb laughed.

Nathan sighed, "Where's Dad?"

Deb bit her lip, "He, uh, had to go into the office early. Said that he's sorry that he couldn't see you off."

"I'm sure," Nathan glumly replied, "Well, we should get going if we want to make it back. Finals to study for, and all."

Deb hugged Haley, "Thank you for coming. I hope you'll be back soon."

* * *

 _ **A few weeks later…**_

"Thank you for meeting with me Nathan," Clay Evans said, as the two sat at the bar of Bruno's, an Italian restaurant in downtown Durham, "I know you had a lot of other offers, and I was glad to get your phone call.

Nathan had met Clay a few months earlier, after a post-game press conference. He'd been surprised at the young age of the man who claimed to own his own sports agency.

 _ ****FLASHBACK****_

 _Nathan had finally finished his interviews, and was anxious to see Haley and Emma. He was on his way back to the court when he heard his name being called behind him. He sighed, wanting to pretend like he didn't hear it, but, he found himself turning around._

" _Hell of a game," Clay said, "31 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists. You couldn't ask for a better turnout."_

" _Thanks man," Nathan nervously responded, not knowing who this guy even was, "And you are…"_

" _Oh, sorry," the man laughed, extending his hand, "Clay Evans, Fortitude Sports Agency."_

" _I appreciate your compliment, sir, but I can't talk to you," Nathan shook his head._

" _Look, Nate, I know you're getting calls from hundreds of agents, and this conversation is purely off the record," Clay began, "But I'm not like those other guys. I can dedicate myself completely to your career, can anyone else guarantee you that?"_

 _Nathan smiled, rolling his eyes, "In other words, you don't have any clients? How old are you anyway?"_

" _I don't have any clients yet," Clay responded, "And I'm older than I look, I promise. 24."_

" _I should really go," Nathan insisted, turning to leave._

" _Nathan," Clay called out, making one final plea, "I've been following you since high school. I know how dedicated you are to basketball. And I promise that I'll be even more dedicated to you. You're a great guy, and a hell of basketball player. I know you haven't decided what you're going to do, but I just don't want to see you get swept up by some huge mogul who only cares about dollar signs."_

 _Nathan nodded, speechless. This guy sure didn't take no for an answer._

" _At least take my card, give me a call when you make up your mind," Clay replied._

 ****END FLASHBACK****

* * *

"Clay, I need you to be honest with me," Nathan said, "Do I have a shot?"

Clay's lips pursed into a straight line, "I'm going to be honest with you Nate, you're coming in late to the game. But that doesn't change the fact that there are a lot of teams who want you, no matter the cost."

Nathan sighed, "I need this to be a sure thing. I'm not just thinking about me."

Clay smiled, "Yeah, I've seen some pictures of you and your girl. Haley, right?"

"Yeah," Nathan smiled, "And she…we have a daughter, Emma. She's almost 2. They're the most important things in my life, and I want to be able to provide for them."

"I know how much your family means to you, Nate, and I promise that I'm going to do everything I possibly can to get you drafted," Clay insisted.

Nathan nodded his head, taking a sip of his drink before turning back to Clay, "Okay."

"Okay?" Clay's eyes widened in surprise.

"I like you Clay," Nathan replied, "You're real with me, and I think you're a cool guy. I trust you, man, and hell, it might be a dumb idea to go with a rookie agent, but I've always been told to go with my gut. So, where do I sign?"

* * *

"Welcome to Sportscenter on ESPN. We have breaking news out of Duke University tonight," Rece Davis, sports anchor, said.

"Nathan it's on!" Haley called, sitting down in front of the television, as Nathan came jogging into the room, Emma perched in his arms. The little family sat together on the couch as the news continued.

"NCAA national champion, John H. Wooden award winner, and the Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, Nathan Scott, has signed with an agent, declaring himself eligible for the draft a little over a month before the event. Jonathan Coachman, what do you think about this?"

"Well Rece, he's coming in late to the game, but he is a solid player," Coachman replied, "No team could go wrong choosing him, but will his late declaration affect his chances? Only time will tell."

"We sat down with Nathan Scott in Durham, to talk about why he made the choice to declare for the draft. Here's what he had to say:"

* * *

"Nathan, first of all, thank you for meeting with us. We know you have a busy schedule, and we appreciate you taking the time to answer our questions."

"Thank you for coming all this way, I'm glad you could make it here safely," Nathan answered.

"Second, we here would just like to congratulate you on declaring yourself for the draft. What led you to come to that decision?" Jonathan Coachman asked.

"Well, the NBA has always been the dream for me, ever since I was a little kid," Nathan began, "I've been working really hard, and with my team winning the championship, it felt like the right time, the right note to go out on, I guess you could say."

"Makes sense" Jonathan smiled, "Is there any team you'd prefer over another?"

Nathan shook his head, "I would be grateful to play for any team that would have me."

"An honorable response, Nathan," Jonathan replied, "Just one more question, who is responsible for you being here today? An NCAA champion, award-winning basketball player, and NBA hopeful."

Nathan cleared his throat, "Um, first and foremost my coaches that I've had throughout the years, specifically Whitey Durham and Coach K. They have developed me into the player I am today. My parents, they've always been there for me, in one way or another. They've never missed a game. And finally, I definitely would not be here without my amazing girlfriend Haley. She was actually my tutor, so she is responsible for me making the grades to be eligible to play."

"I think we actually have a photo that you brought," Jonathan said, as the two turned to the large screen behind them, a photo of Nathan, Haley, and Emma from right after Duke won the championship appearing, "You have a beautiful family, Nathan, and we're excited to see where the future takes you."

"And if you'll remember folks," Rece Davis said, "The NBA draft consists of two rounds; which is much shorter than the entry drafts of the other major professional sports leagues in the U.S. and Canada, all of which run at least seven rounds. Sixty players are selected in each draft, and this year, over 150 international and U.S. players have declared themselves eligible."

"Wow," Haley sighed, entwining her hand with Nathan's as Emma climbed down from the couch and began to play with her toys, "Basketball god and TV star? How does it feel?"

Nathan chuckled, changing the channel, the local news coming on, "Haha, very funny. It was just an interview."

"So what now?" Haley asked, "What's next?"

"Now…it's just a waiting game," Nathan replied, "I passed my finals, thanks to you, and your graduation is in a few days. Let's just focus on that."

"Sure, I'll be your distraction," Haley smiled, placing a kiss to his lips.

* * *

A week later, just as Haley had gotten Emma down for bed, she heard furious light knocking at the door, opening it to find Nathan on the other side, a huge grin on his face.

"Hey baby, what's going on?" Haley asked, slightly confused at his giddiness.

Nathan picked her up and spun her around, "Golden State!"

"What?" Haley questioned as he finally put her down.

"Clay called," Nathan began to explain, "And he said he's been hearing buzz about the Warriors taking me in the draft."

"Wow," Haley's jaw dropped, as she turned and walked into the living room.

"They're the best team in the country, Hales," Nathan continued, "God, can you imagine? Me playing with Steph Curry in San Francisco."

"That's great," Haley replied, "Really."

Nathan finally started coming back to reality, "Wait, why aren't you excited?"

"No, I am, babe, it's just…" Haley bit her lip, "California is a long way away from North Carolina."

"Yeah, but," Nathan began, before Haley continued.

"Principal Hanigan called me today, and he needs an answer about the job by next week," Haley forced out.

* * *

After everything that they'd gone through and talked about, they really hadn't discussed what would happen after Nathan got drafted. Nathan had half-expected Haley and Emma to follow him wherever he went. At least, that's what he'd hoped for.

"Are you going to take it?" Nathan asked.

"I told him I needed some more time to think about it," Haley responded hesitantly.

Nathan scoffed, "Silly me, I thought it would be an easy choice for you."

Haley felt her walls starting to form once again. Moving cross country with her daughter and a guy she'd been dating for eight months, it scared the hell out of her. She still had to think of Emma first, but she wanted to protect her own heart in the process too.

"Nathan, you know that I love you," Haley began, tears forming in her eyes, "And I want to be with you more than anything."

"But," Nathan said, stone-faced.

"But I don't know if I can follow you across the country," Haley sighed, "That's a big commitment, and what if this doesn't work out?"

"You can ask what if questions till the end of time, Hales, but none of them matter," Nathan retorted.

"But it does matter, Nathan," Haley replied, "I have to think about Emma. The only family she knows is here. The only job offers I have are here. That's a guarantee."

"This, you and me, this is a guarantee," Nathan assured, taking a step towards her, his hand reaching to cup her face, "I'm in this, Haley, you know that. And I want more than anything for you and Emma to come with me, wherever I go."

"I…I…want that too," she stammered, a tear falling down her cheek, "But…"

Nathan's face fell, "I know it's not right for me to assume you'd come, I get that. But I love you. Both of you. No matter what. Remember that, okay?"

* * *

The two were interrupted by a cry. Haley wiped the tears from her face, moving to head towards Emma.

"Hey, let me get her," Nathan offered, as Haley bit her lip, nodding.

"Hey princess, what's wrong?" Nathan picked Emma up, sitting on the edge of Haley's bed as she laid her head on his shoulder.

She continued to cry, softer now though, "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay, I promise."

"Dada," Emma whimpered, cuddling closer to him.

Unbeknownst to Nathan, Haley was standing just outside the door, able to hear everything. At the sound of her daughter calling Nathan dad, the tears really started to flow. Emma loved him. These past eight months, he'd spent equally as much time with Emma as he had with Haley. Never in her life, after what she'd gone through, did she think she'd find someone who would love her and her daughter, and the emotional baggage that came with them. And to think she found it by tutoring Nathan Scott. She couldn't wrap her head around it.

"I love you princess," she heard Nathan say, "And I love your mom. And I don't want to be apart from you. I never thought I'd get to have a family, but you and your mom, you make me the happiest guy in the whole world. And I know that your mom is listening right now, because she's a terrible spy."

Of course, he'd figured her out. She quickly wiped the tears from her face again, but you could easily tell she'd been crying as she entered the room, sitting down next to Nathan, stroking her daughter's back.

"Do you remember the first game you saw me play?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah, you won," Haley managed to smile.

"I scored 35 points that night, and each basket was like my own personal version of a Haley James pick-up line," Nathan continued.

Haley sighed, "It worked."

"I played that game for you Hales," Nathan sighed, "And you know what? I'd give it up for you too. Because as much as I love playing the game and the person I am when I play it, I love you and Emma more. If you want me to take my name out of the draft, I will. I'll call Clay right now."

"Nathan, I don't want you to do that," Haley bit her lip, "Do you know what that means to me? Knowing that you'd give up your dream for us? I never thought someone would be able to love me, after what happened. All I could ever hope for was for someone to love Emma as much as I do. And I know that you do. These past eight months, you've become her dad. You have changed so much from the jerk I met at the tutoring center. I love you more than words can say. And, whatever happens, we're going to face it together, okay?"

"Always and forever," Nathan smiled, placing a kiss to her temple.

* * *

 **Sorry for not updating! I just started working a third job, so I have been insanely busy! I hope y'all liked Chapter 12! I have lots more planned for this story, so stay tuned!**

 **Feel free to check out my newest fic, Say You Won't Let Go, based off of the famous song by James Arthur.**

 **Please favorite, follow, and review and let me know what you think of the story and what you would like to see happen next!**

 **As always, thank y'all so much for reading this story and sticking with me! You don't know how much it means to me to know that people enjoy my work!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Alright Nate, so it's really coming down to two teams," Clay said, sitting on a chair in Nathan's apartment, Haley and Nathan sitting across from him, "Golden State has the first pick, and they've shown a lot of interest. Coach Kerr wants a point guard, and they were really impressed with the workouts you did for them. And then there's the Knicks. Jeff Hornacek is only in his second season coaching, so there's a lot of pros to going to a team with a new coach, but there can be some drawbacks as well. Now, I've been approached by a few other teams since the combine, but there's almost no chance you won't go in the top two picks, Nate. From all the talk I'm hearing, it looks like you guys are going to have to get used to West Coast life."

* * *

Haley's hands were shaking as they entered The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on the night of the NBA draft. She felt a little more at ease as she felt Nathan's hand gently squeeze her own. She unknowingly gasped at the sheer immensity of the venue. It seemed as though everyone in attendance was dressed to the nines, wearing designers that Brooke would die to work with. Though, Haley wasn't jealous. Brooke had designed the dress she was wearing, calling it her best work yet. Haley wished Lucas and Brooke could have come tonight. It might have helped her feel a little less nervous, but alas, Brooke was doing a summer internship in New York, and Lucas had gone with her, working on his novel.

After being shuffled to a table close to the stage, Haley noticed that Nathan, who had been the picture of calm, cool, and collected as they entered the arena, was now nervously adjusting his suit.

"Hey, if you don't stop, you're going to give yourself an ulcer," Haley laughed, grabbing his hand with her own, "What's going on?"

Nathan sighed, "It all comes down to this, Hales. If I don't get picked…"

"Any team would be crazy to not pick you," Haley assured him, "It's all going to work out. You'll see."

He smiled, leaning over to place a kiss on her forehead, before they were interrupted.

* * *

"We're here!" Deb smiled, rushing to hug Nathan, Dan following behind her, his head hanging slightly.

"You made it," Nathan said, standing to greet them.

"We would've been here sooner, but we hit traffic, of course, tonight, of all nights," Deb sighed, sitting down.

"Thank you for inviting me, son," Dan hesitantly stated, "I know we didn't exactly end things well when you came home to visit, but, I just want you to know, that I'm really proud of you, for making it this far."

Nathan nodded slightly, "Thank you, Dad."

Haley knew how hard this was for him. She'd seen how torn he was about his feelings towards his father, even though she'd only seen glimpses of their relationship. Dan was Nathan's father, that could not be denied, but he also had pushed him so hard to be the best that it had almost caused Nathan to quit the sport he loved altogether. The pressure of Dan looming over Nathan threatened to ruin their father/son relationship, and it was about time the two started to mend things.

"I wouldn't be here without you," Nathan replied, "Any of you."

* * *

Ten minutes before the draft was to begin, Nathan felt a hand clap onto his shoulder from behind. Turning, he immediately rolled his eyes at the sight of the man in front of him.

"Nathan Scott, fancy seeing you here," Damien West said, his voice reeking of sarcasm and chauvinism.

Knowing that the place was littered with press, all clutching their cameras, desperately waiting for the next big story, Nathan stood, shaking West's hand.

"What's going on, West?" Nathan asked half-heartedly.

"Oh come on Nate, introduce me to the crew, why don't you?" Damien smiled, directing his attention towards Haley.

Sighing, Nathan turned back to his family, "Mom, Dad, you already know him but this is Damien West, point guard from UNC. Damien, these are my parents and my girlfriend, Haley."

"Haley, nice to meet you," Damien said, extending his hand to her, "You look good in blue, it suits you."

"Thanks," Haley replied, not sure how to take this guy.

"You know what else would look good on you?" West paused, "Me."

"Ugh," Haley sighed with disgust.

"I think you're out of your league, West," Nathan replied, stone-faced, stepping in front of Haley protectively.

Damien scoffed, "Yeah, well we'll see who's in the league and who's out of the league in a few minutes, Scott. Remember my name, it'll be the first one you hear called."

* * *

"I really hate him," Nathan sighed, as Damien walked away, to sit with his family at a table nearby.

"Me too. He's such an arrogant ass. He'd look good on me? What kind of twisted, sick comment was that? I wanted to slap the smirk right off his face," she agreed.

Nathan had his own smirk on his face, unable to stop looking at her.

"What's with that look?" Haley raised her eyebrows, questioning him.

Nathan turned to see his parents talking to someone, but still, he leaned to whisper in her ear, "Angry Haley is kinda sexy."

This made her smile, and laugh a little, as she whispered back to him, "Nathan Scott, you haven't even seen my A-game yet."

Biting her lip, she reached her hand to fix his hair, letting her hand brush down the side of his face, "God, the way you look at me sometimes. I am so proud of you."

"I haven't done anything yet, baby," he replied, "But thank you. For staying, even when I was an ass. And for believing in me."

"Thank you for being worth it," Haley smiled, and the room suddenly got quiet, as a bald man with glasses walked on to the stage.

"Good evening and welcome to the 2017 NBA Draft in the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, as he stood at the podium on the large stage, "These fine young men represent the future of our league, a continuation of a proud tradition of NBA players, competing at the highest level, and captivating fans around the world. Tonight, these players begin their own journey. Every pick matters. So, let's get started. The first pick of the 2017 NBA draft belongs to the Golden State Warriors, who have 5 minutes to make their selection."

* * *

It felt like the next five minutes were an eternity. Haley had never actually watched a draft before, but Nathan had told her that most of the time, teams didn't take the full five minutes to make their selection. Golden State, however, used up every second. As Adam Silver walked up to the podium again, she felt Nathan tense up as he reached for her hand. She leaned into him slightly, as they both listened.

"With the first pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors select…Damien West, University of North Carolina."

A gasp of astonishment could be heard throughout the arena, followed by loud booing. Everyone had thought that Nathan Scott, college player of the year, would be first pick in the draft, but apparently, Golden State had had other plans for a point guard.

Nathan froze for a moment, shocked to hear Damien's name, before his shoulders slumped, as he clapped politely. He watched Damien smugly walk past him and up onto the stage, accepting the blue and gold hat that Nathan himself had wanted so badly. Playing in California, with one of the best players in the NBA, it would have been amazing.

Haley squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him, but she tried to keep her excitement hidden. Even though she could see the hurt look in Nathan's eyes, she was selfishly glad he wouldn't have to go all the way to California.

Everyone at the table was still in shock: Dan, Deb, Nathan, Haley, even Clay, who now had his phone out, ferociously sending texts out to his contacts, trying to see what in the hell was going on behind the scenes.

"Nate, man, I don't know what happened," Clay's eyes were wide in slight terror, "All signs were good. Kerr loved you. I didn't even know West met with them. It must have been recent because I talked to Kerr and his team three days ago, and it was a for sure thing."

"Baby face, maybe next time, you should close the deal before you get everyone's hopes up, hm?" Dan said sternly, receiving looks like daggers from Deb and Nathan.

"Dad, that's enough," Nathan said softly, but firmly, "Second pick. Here we go."

"With the second pick in the 2017 NBA draft, the New York Knicks select…Devon Fox, Michigan State University."

More shock could be heard, along with several boos, as Nathan's name, which everyone had expected to hear first or second, did not come yet again.

"Who's got the third pick?" Deb asked, as calmly as she could.

Clay took a deep breath, "Toronto."

Haley could feel Nathan's hand shaking under hers, and his head was hanging, unable to look at her.

"Babe, hey," she pulled his chin up, "It's not over. It doesn't matter to me if you get picked third or seventeenth or last. I love you. I wish that you would believe in yourself as much I believe in you."

Nathan half-smiled, "You always know what to say. I love you, Haley James. Always and forever."

* * *

Haley's brow furrowed, as they saw Adam Silver return to the podium, much too soon, she thought, for another pick.

"We have a trade to announce," he said, "The Toronto Raptors trade Arturo Milligan III and their third pick in this first round of the NBA draft to the Charlotte Hornets for financial considerations. The Charlotte Hornets have five minutes on the clock."

Haley felt like she couldn't breathe. Her eyes widened, and the look of shock on her face was all-too apparent. She and Nathan both looked at each other, mouths hanging open in disbelief. Charlotte. As in North Carolina. Two hours from Durham, the place she'd called home for the last three years. The place where her family and friends were. But, it was also two hours from Tree Hill, from the family that Nathan was just beginning to rekindle a relationship with. A perfect middle point. In all the conversations they'd had with Clay, Charlotte had never come up. They'd been at the combine Nathan had gone too, scouting, but they'd never shown interest.

After only two minutes, Adam Silver walked out onto the stage again, and as he did, Haley clutched Nathan's hand in her own, as if for dear life.

"Woah, Hales, I kind of need that hand," Nathan stammered, "Losing feeling."

"Shut up," she replied, as the commissioner began to speak.

"With the third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select…Nathan Scott, Duke University."

Tears sprang to Haley's eyes as the entire arena erupted in cheers. Everyone stood at the table, clapping. Haley flew into Nathan's arms.

"You did it!" she elated.

"We did it!" Nathan replied, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

He hugged his dad and his mom and Clay, before walking towards the stage. He slipped on the purple and teal hat, before reaching Adam Silver. He shook his hand and posed for a picture, before being ushered off the stage for an interview.

* * *

"I'm Allison Williams, here with newly-drafted Nathan Scott. Nathan, I know the question on everyone's mind is how does it feel to be in the NBA, to have made it to this point?"

"I know it sounds cheesy, but it's a dream come true. This is something I've wanted ever since I can remember. So, to be here and to have this opportunity, it means the world to me," Nathan replied.

"You talked about the influence that your father had on you, in a pre-draft interview. How did he help you in basketball, and in life?" Allison asked.

Nathan gulped, taking a deep breath, "No family's perfect, mine certainly isn't. We've had our ups and downs, but in the end, my dad has always had my best interest at heart. He wanted me to succeed, and he pushed me, but I'm grateful that he did. Because it helped me…be here today."

"A lot of people were thinking you were going to be playing in California. What does it feel like to know you'll be staying in your home state of North Carolina?"

"It feels amazing. It's my home. It's where I fell in love with the game, and where I played college ball and won a national championship. So, to stay there, it's crazy. It'll be nice to be close to family and friends, too," he responded.

"Alright, Nathan, last question: Since you mentioned your family and friends. You post a lot of photos on your social media of you and your girlfriend and her daughter, and I noticed that your girlfriend Haley is here tonight. What does it mean to have their support?"

Nathan couldn't help but beam as he spoke of his girls, "Haley and Emma mean everything to me. You know, they're my motivation. I want to be my best self for them, no matter what. They've helped me grow and become who I am now. And for that, I'll always be grateful. Always and forever."

* * *

 _ **It's a Christmas miracle! I finally posted a new chapter! I know it's short, but I wanted to get this out to y'all ASAP! I always hate reading author's excuses as to why they haven't posted, but I promise I have a good one. I'm a manager at a retail store, and if you've ever worked retail during the holidays, you'll understand that I've hardly been home at all, and when I am, I'm sleeping.**_

 _ **I already have the next chapter planned out, just got to get down to writing it!**_

 _ **Hint, Hint, AKA a mini Christmas gift for y'all: A previous storyline (that you may have thought I'd forgotten) will be resurfacing in the next chapter! Stay tuned!**_


End file.
